Transport officials open to talks to extend PUV consolidation deadline
MANILA, Philippines — Transport officials said Thursday they could go back to the negotiation table with transport groups to talk about the possibility of further extending the deadline for individual operators of public utility vehicles to consolidate under a cooperative or corporation.
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III told senators during a hearing on the PUV modernization program four days before transport groups launch a week-long strike that they could talk about pushing the deadline further.
This, after Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista insisted that there must be a deadline for consolidation as senators pressed them to drop this.
"I think there must be a deadline," Bautista said in Filipino. "It cannot be open-ended because if we don't impose a deadline, no one will follow."
The LTFRB announced Wednesday that it is postponing the consolidation deadline to year-end from June 30 in deference to the Senate which "strongly urged" it to do so in a resolution.
Despite moving the deadline, senators appeared unconvinced that the modernization program can be accomplished by December 31.
"Thank you, at least you’re making an effort in extending the deadline. But that’s just to save face," Senate public services chairperson Grace Poe said partly in Filipino.
Manibela: We will still lose out franchises in the end
Manibela national president Mar Valbuena said even if the consolidation deadline is extended, this is still unacceptable especially if it would lead to an eventual phaseout of traditional jeepneys.
"Whatever deadline they give us, it will still be a phaseout," Valbuena said, alleging that the consolidation plan is backed by a big "mafia". He said that even if they had agreed to consolidate "in the end we still need to surrender our franchises."
Manibela is among the transport groups that will push ahead with its planned strike beginning Monday, but when other organizations present during the hearing were asked by Senate public services chairperson Grace Poe whether they will press on, most said they would not.
Under the current PUV Modernization Program, operators must surrender their individual franchises for consolidation into a Fleet Management System, where cooperatives would have to purchase 15 imported minibuses per route.
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