[This editorial was published on The Red Chronicles Volume 13, Issue 1, AY 2019-2020]
The daily commute in Metro Manila is now at its worst point. The horrendous traffic in the metro has reached an alarming level, which could already qualify the situation as a state of mass transportation crisis. This problem calls for a balance between a long-term solution to finally put an end to the daily traffic misery of the Filipinos, as well as an immediate fix to relieve them from their ordeal while comprehensive efforts are being made.
Thousands of commuters have been agonizing due to the successive glitches at the capital region’s three major railway systems. With the shutdown of the LRT 2 due to a fire, passengers were forced to find alternative modes of transport. Heavy traffic at the South Luzon Expressway has also tested the public’s patience as of late, as the P10-billion extension of the Skyway System is underway.
The government should look at the bigger picture, not only improving traffic flow, but also reducing vehicle volume. The traffic crisis can be solved if a fast, convenient, and safe mass public transportation system is in place. This will incentivize private car owners to abandon their vehicles for their daily journeys and instead patronize mass public transport options.
Trains are the most efficient mass transit vehicles, and the Duterte administration is aiming to build new, ambitious train projects such as the Metro Manila’s first subway and Mindanao’s first railway. However, these are long term projects that would take time before it will come into fruition. In the meantime, buses and jeepneys will still play a crucial role because, relative to cars, they could transport greater number of people without occupying too much space in the road.
If we can expedite the installation of bus rapid transport networks and replace old jeepneys with new, spacious and cleaner ones, then more people will be nudged to leave their cars at home and choose to commute instead, thus, helping free our roads. Here, the government’s firm effort to push for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) will be pivotal.
According to DOTr, the PUMVP is not merely a vehicle modernization program, but a comprehensive system reform that will revolutionize the public land transportation industry. In this program, drivers will have the security of monthly salary and benefits as well as reduced working hours. Formerly, our drivers and operators run on a “boundary system”, wherein the driver is engaged to drive the operator’s unit at a fee called the boundary. Everything in excess of the boundary becomes the income of the driver. In this scenario, the driver is dependent on the excess amount only. The program aims to be beneficial to the underpaid drivers, the commuters, the environment, and the country itself. The main selling point is that it is not a mere modernization program, but also a comprehensive change in the lifestyle and system of commuting in the country.
As the first step towards the modernization of the PUV regulatory framework, the LTFRB issued an Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, which sets the new rules for regulating PUVs. In this system, the LGUs are required to submit their own Local Public Transport Plan (LPTRP) as a pre-requisite for the opening of PUV franchises within their jurisdiction. LPTRP aims to provide traffic management measures to address the traffic crisis.
One of the major features of the program is the introduction of modern PUVs that are designed to be environment-friendly, safe, secure, and convenient with due consideration to our PWD passengers. The modernization program embraces not only jeepneys but also buses and public utility vans.
While on its face, the PUV Modernization Program would seem to be a step towards eradicating the ever-worsening traffic in Metro Manila, the failure of the DOTr to implement the program fully or to at least meet the goals it had set throughout the so-called transition period shows the government’s slapdash planning. During the Senate hearing on the program, it was reported that of the targeted 85,000 modernized units necessary to transport the capacity of the 170,000 jeepneys to be phased out, only 3% have been operationalized almost 3 years after the launching of the program. To further aggravate the situation, PUMVP’s 2018 budget of P843-million, which was allocated for training programs, route planning, information education campaigns, was slashed to P447-million this year and has no allocation at all for 2020.
Amidst all the controversy revolving around inadequate planning and poor implementation, the public’s main contention against the PUV Modernization Program is that it is “anti-poor” and that government officials are too detached from the reality of the program they seek to execute. Modern jeepneys are estimated to be anywhere from P1.2-million to P1.6-million, in which the jeepney drivers and operators will shoulder the cost.
It has been reported that DOTr signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Development Bank of the Philippines, for a P1.5-billion loan facility for PUV cooperatives. However, it is important to stress that these are for loans and not subsidies. Of the estimated P1.2 to P1.6-million price tag of a modern jeepney, only P80,000 will be subsidized by the government. The remaining amount will constitute a long-term loan in the names of the jeepney drivers and operators, essentially burying them in debt for years to come.
The PUV modernization aims to provide high quality public transportation to our people; for progress and the inevitable change that our country needs. However, the same should not be implemented at the expense of our jeepney drivers. What we need is rehabilitation and assistance from the government and true, long-lasting solutions instead of quick fixes. The government must provide subsidies sufficient to jumpstart the change they want to obtain and ample time for transition. They must be reminded that it is not for profit venture nor for the good of our people’s welfare if we do not look at our jeepney drivers equally as Filipino citizens, who shall have the same weight of value as much other people have. If it would only lead to displacement and loss of livelihood among drivers and operators, then we once again failed our fellowmen.
This program shall be for the benefit of everyone. Hence the application and implementation shall also be for the benefit of the same. If we rise, we rise together- nobody gets left behind, especially not the poorest members of our community, whichever sector they belong. Otherwise, what more could the government do in exchange for the lives of its constituents?◾