No red light for old jeepneys

For decades since the second world war, the traditional jeepneys have reigned the kingdom of the roads of the Philippines, dubbed as the country’s Hari ng Kalsada (King of the Road) as it stretched its prominence as the primary transportation modality of the Filipino people. However, behind its momentum is an unthought of harbinger of danger signaling as the government invaded the kingdom in an attempt to fully put a red light to the supposed continuous rule of the king as it eyed to enforce its anti-poor transport policy, the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). But, ordinary jeepney drivers would never falter.

Dated February 27, 2023, the transportation groups such as Manibela and Piston declared its plan of protest, staging a week-long national strike from March 6-12 in response to the Circular Memorandum No. 2023-013 issued by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Boards (LTFRB), setting the deadline for the phaseout of traditional jeepneys on June 30. The PUVMP is seen by the government as the answer to the never-ending transport-related issues that continue to plague the country and cause inconvenience to both public transportation vehicle operators and commuters, as well as the ever-changing demands for technological advancements as the administration vies for a more competitive economy. However, the government failed to think outside the box as this costly transitioning may just have ingressed yet another problem as it forces drivers and operators to shift to an electric vehicle or a combustion engine which amounts to an exorbitant P2.8 million, which complies with the Euro IV emission standard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of air pollution.

Moreover, it can be recalled that the program had been first issued in 2017, aiming to streamline and organize the country’s public road transportation system. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte appraised the program as a kick-start in making the Philippine transport aligned with global standards by providing Filipinos with a transport system that is safe, reliable, convenient, and environmentally sustainable.

In the current status quo, Transportation chief Jaime Bautista reiterated the need to modernize PUV, saying that the plan is far from being scrapped. He mentioned that the project will help strengthen the CASA (convenient, accessible, safe and secure, and affordable) program that the department is attempting to achieve for the public interest and common good of the commuters. But more importantly, he further justified that it will hinge the labor sector as it generates more jobs–mechanics, dispatchers, among others. Nonetheless, even though these sound justified, it still does not take a genius to understand that the program is not effectively feasible with the country’s billowing economy, and that the ordinary jeepney drivers could not afford to phase out their old units to buy for a costly and modernized one.

Moreover, the problem here is that the government is undeniably enslaved in their spectrum that it incessantly failed to reach to the growling masses. Traditional jeepney drivers and student commuters in Mindanao State University - General Santos had also expressed protest in the new transport policy. Modern e-jeepneys massively cost P 2.8 million per unit, a 1.766.7% hike over the P150, 000 - P250, 000 regular cost of traditional units. Insih Omar, a member of the Fatima Transport Cooperative, and an MSU-GSC jeepney driver said that “papalitan yung sasakyan tapos magbibigay yung national government ng subsidy. Napapayag kami,... pero masakit pa rin sa kalooban namin kasi wala kang utang, tapos papautangin ka ng milyon-milyon na kantidad ng sasakyan. Napakasakit yun.”

Howbeit, even if the government will provide a subsidy of P160, 000, this clearly still could not make up for the expensive amount of modern e-jeepneys, but would only cover 5.7% of the total cost. The regular jeepney drivers have even had to endure the heat of the road driving on the daily just to barely earn a penny and provide their families food to eat, let alone pay a million-cost jeepney.

But more so, the traditional jeepney phaseout would also take a huge toll on the end of the students whose primary mode of transportation going into and out of the university is a jeepney. In an exclusive poll conducted by Bagwis, 93.4% out of the 121 responses disagreed with the government on the phaseout of jeepneys. Felicity Aceron, an MSU student-commuter expressed their disapproval, justifying that the jeepney fare only costs them P30– a cheaper and better alternative for a student like them living away from the campus. Conclusively, the labor sector and the transportation groups are not advocating against the environment nor public security, nor at the very least, modernization. The PUVMP stands as a great policy with its goals to achieve numerous economic and environmental implications. However, the prime issue here lies on the anti-poor policy of the government that continues to burden the people in the lowest echelon who continue to suffer especially with the current state of the country’s economy. Hence, it is only pivotal that the government live on its mandate as an umpire that caters to the demands of the varying associations in its constituencies: provide proper mechanisms and lenient leeways that would put the affected livelihood of the sector involved in consideration.

As modernity and globalization continue to thrive in the status quo, and as a country endeavoring for a more competitive economy to meet the global standards, modernizing PUVs may solve societal problems including that of the environment and security, not, however, for the Philippines with a swelling economic crisis and millions of people still in the poverty line. So long as the government could not provide proper mechanisms for traditional jeepney drivers, and so long as the Philippines be in the developing bracket in the international community, no red light for old jeepneys could impede its momentum and the king of the road continues to reign and navigate the roads of the country.

A. TUMAGANTANG, R. EBAD, L. LEAÑO, M. NEGRO, M.

SILVA