Poe to LTFRB: Show routes affected in PUVMP

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe is urging the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to publicize a complete list of routes and ensure mobility of the commuting public once the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP) is implemented.

The government, through the LTFRB, intends to implement the PUVMP, which prohibits the operation of unconsolidated jeepneys starting Feb. 1.

Poe said the LTFRB should inform the public about the routes that are expected to experience shortage of jeepneys once the consolidation is implemented.

“Instead of cracking down on unconsolidated jeepneys, concerned agencies must prioritize contingency measures to ensure unhampered mobility of the commuting public,” Poe said.

She said commuters are worried over the possibility of the lack of public transport or spending more for alternative modes of transportation.

The LTFRB earlier said only 76 percent or 145,721 public utility vehicles (PUVs) have consolidated before the year started.

The figure indicated that around 24 percent or 46,017 PUVs remain unconsolidated, with drivers and operators losing jobs.

Poe said the PUV modernization program looms like a death knell to drivers who have not formed cooperatives due to the high cost of new jeepney units.

“What is the point of the PUV modernization if it cannot be implemented properly, and if the exchange is to torture our fellow commuters and minor drivers?” Poe said. Labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned the recent development in the controversial PUVMP.