“Without bigger subsidies or government assistance in setting up these coops, you might as well just say you’re killing the livelihoods of the sector.”
Ito ang pahayag ni Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda nitong Linggo, Pebrero 26, kasabay ng kaniyang pagtutol sa idineklarang deadline ng Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) para sa pag-phase out ng mga tradisyunal na jeep sa bansa at bigyang-daan ang PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Sa inilabas na Memorandum Circular 013-2023 ng LTFRB noong Pebrero 21, inanusyong ang bagong deadline sa traditional jeepney phaseout ay magiging sa Hunyo 30, 2023.
Ngunit ayon kay Salceda, kung walang sapat na ayuda para matulungan ang jeepney drivers na maabot ang halaga ng modernong jeep, magiging kalupitan daw ang nasabing programa.
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I think the policy is especially cruel and inhumane when there are no longer any PUJ subsidies in the budget. Cruel and inhumane when you consider that jeepney drivers were among the hardest-hit sectors over the past three years,” ani Salceda.
“Totally, I oppose it without government providing concrete assistance to help PUJs (passenger utility jeepneys) cooperativize or to provide ample seed funding for their cooperatives,” dagdag niya. “Even the end-2023 extension is not enough.”
Ayon sa Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston), libo-libong jeepney drivers sa bansa ang hindi pa rin makayanang kumuha ng modernong jeep dahil ang imported minibus ay nagkakahalaga ng ₱2.4 to ₱2.8-milyon kada isa. Higit na mataas ito kumpara sa tradisyunal na jeepney na halaga lamang daw ng ₱200,000 – ₱600,000 per unit.
BASAHIN: Samahan ng mga tsuper, umalma sa bagong deadline ng LTFRB para sa jeepney phaseout
Dahil dito, sinabi ni Salceda na maghahain siya ng resolusyon na mag-uutos sa House Committee on Transportation na ipanawagan ang suspensiyon ng Memorandum Circular 013-2023 o ang deadline para sa jeepney phaseout.
“We should take the PUJ modernization push as an opportunity to reshape the public transport sector. But let’s not pauperize an already struggling sector to get that done,” ani Salceda.
“And frankly, keeping the PUJ sector largely private will eventually create the same problems that we are trying to address right now – bad road behavior, irrational routes, and depressed incomes for PUJ workers,” dagdag niya.
