Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program: Deadline extended

CEBU, Philippines — Following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s order to extend to April 30 the franchise consolidation deadline for all public utility vehicles, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III encouraged operators and drivers to take advantage of this opportunity provided to them.

But Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) PISTON-Cebu wants no less than the scrapping of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

PISTON-Cebu president Greg Perez said they are one with the drivers and small operators who are elated with the Malacañang announcement, but added that the extension is just a “temporary reprieve.”

“Like a ticking time bomb, it is the job-busting, traffic crisis enhancing, pro-big business modernization (program) that must be defused or dismantled,” he said.

“The pro-big business consolidation and modernization is the road to perdition for public transport service and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos,” he added.

Perez said they would still pursue the legal remedy they have sought against the PUVMP.

“Through our determined fight, we have moved both legislators and the office of the president to reset the implementation of the deadline by at least three months more. We need to persist and enlarge our mobilization to convince the High Court to decide the case against consolidation in our favor,” he said.

Cebu Integrated Transport Multi-Purpose Cooperative general manager and president Ryan Benjamin Yu, on the other hand, said he was saddened by extension.

“I am saddened but I already expected this to happen since the PUVMP was poorly implemented by the LTFRB especially in region 7, wherein the focus only is changing the units,” he said.

Yu said LTFRB-7 forced the replacement of units even without the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP), which is a routes rationalization plan meant to “address operational inefficiencies and worsening of traffic conditions, fleet modernization, industry consolidation, and social support mechanisms”.

He said Modernized Public Utility Jeepneys (MPUJs) operators are still use the "abang system" (drivers pay a fixed amount to the cooperative-owner), which runs counter to the “Omnibus Franchising Guidelines” that states that drivers are paid through a salary-based system.

He further said that LTFRB also still issues “special permits” even if the Covid pandemic was long declared as over; the “auto-fare collection system” inside MPUJs are not followed; the dispatch system is just on paper; routes overlap, rendering operation unsustainable, and many more.

In a statement yesterday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the resident has approved the extension for franchise consolidation under the PUVMP to give more time to those who want to consolidate.

“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista's recommendation, granting an additional three months until April 30, 2024 for the consolidation of public utility vehicles. This extension is to give an opportunity to those who expressed intention to consolidate but did not make the previous cut-off,” the PCO said.

The LTFRB said public utility vehicles, totaling 190,000 units of UV Express, PUJs, mini-buses and buses, have availed of the consolidation.

It said that as of mid-January, UV Express was able to achieve an 82-percent consolidation; jeepneys, 75 percent; buses, 86 percent; and mini-buses, 45 percent.

The government started to carry out the modernization program in 2017 and has so far established 1,728 cooperatives and corporations with 262,344 members.

The PUVMP “aims to fundamentally transform the public transport system in the country making both commuting and public transportation operations more dignified, humane, and on par with global standards.”

“It also seeks to provide the Filipino commuter a comfortable ride by providing a safer, more efficient, reliable, convenient, affordable, climate-friendly, and environmentally sustainable transportation system in the country.”

In a separate statement, Senator Imee Marcos said that the extension is a “good step in the right direction.”

“However, this additional time should be used not only to allow jeepney drivers to consolidate. This period should be used to come up with a better solution to allow our jeepney drivers and owners to continue with their livelihood,” she said.

The senator said that instead of the proposed phase-out, “a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes the needs of all Filipinos” is needed.

She proposed the following:

* Modernizing existing jeepneys: Retrofitting with cleaner engines, promoting cleaner fuels, and improving safety standards;

* Investing in infrastructure: Expanding and improving roads, bridges, and mass transit systems to address congestion and create a well-connected network; and

* Developing sustainable alternatives: Encouraging electric and hybrid vehicles, promoting carpooling and cycling, using renewable fuels, and exploring micro-mobility options. — (FREEMAN)