By Jeanne Michael Penaranda, Correspondent

PASAY CITY – Government officials may yet find their right senses about the highly criticized jeepney modernization program.

This as 23 of 24 senators have signed a resolution seeking a temporary suspension of the program, officially called the  Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP),  now the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero proposed the measure at a Senate hearing on PUVMP’s implementation last week the program is pestered by  questions and problems.

Escudero said President FerdinandMarcos Jr. could heed the call to suspend the PUVMP, the same way he agreed to the recommendations that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) should be banned.

The PUVMP, which started in 2017 under then President Rodrigo Duterte, aims to replace jeepneys with vehicles with at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution and replace PUVs that were not roadworthy by the standards of the Land Transportation Office.

Under the program, jeepney operators were asked to buy expensive vehicles imported from China which many could not afford, even on installment basis. The imported vehicles, moreover, were not jeepneys but mini-buses. Also, initially, local assemblers of jeepneys were not considered for the program.

The program required jeepney drivers and operators to  consolidate, join or form cooperatives. They could also apply for new franchises but as part of transport cooperatives. Under this scheme, the jeepney owners will no longer be owners of the vehicle that they would purchase, one big area which the jeepney drivers and operators are questioning.

Jeepney drivers and operators have staged many rallies to protest the program which had rendered jobless and without means of livelihood to thousands of jeepney drivers and operators.

Recently, the transport groups also filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning the progrm.

Only opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros have not not signed Senate Resolution 1096 for still unknown reason. 

In the resolution,  the senators said the program should be temporaily suspended “pending the resolution of valid and urgent concerns raised by affected drivers, groups, unions, and transport cooperatives with the end in view [of] ensuring a more efficient and inclusive implementation of the PTMP.”

The lawmakers took into consideration the concerns raised by various transport groups that they said are “due to the continuing deficiencies of the PTMP which are yet to be addressed by the [Department of Transportation.”

“While PTMP is integral to the traffic management solution, there is an urgent need to thoroughly review and reassess the impact of the program, to alleviate the fears of the drivers and transport operators who will be directly burdened by its implementation,” the resolution states.

“While the intent of the PTMP is laudable, continuing with the program withouth threshing out these concerns would go against the constitutional directive of promoting social justice in all phases of national development,” it added.

More consideration and clarifications are needed from the DOTr in order to address the concerns voiced by affected sectors, especially the drivers.

Among the issues mentiond by the senators is the high figure of unconsolidated PUV units that they attributed to the government’s insufficient information drive to educate the drivers, operators and transport groups about the program; and the burden of financing the cost of modern PUVs, which they said greatly exceeds the financial capacity of drivers and operators.

The consolidation of PUVs already ended last April 30.

The senators said that as of the same date, 36,217 units or approximately 19% of jeepneys and other PUVs have not yet consolidated and the statistics “may still rise” as there were drivers and operators who filed petitions to have their membership be revoked or cancelled due to apparent mismanagement of their respective transport cooperatives.

“Those who did not participate in the consolidation are now considered as colorum or operating illegaly and run the risk of being fined and their vehicles impounded should the drivers continue to ply their routes,” the resolution states.

“These small stakeholders, particularly the drivers, who remain unconsolidated, are effectively forced out of their livelihoods with most of them expressing that the only skill they have is driving,” the senators added.

Another “alarming” concern that the senators raised is the potential phaseout of the iconic jeepney design “in favor of the so-called modern jeepneys which are merely mini-buses imported from other countries.”

Further, the senators noted that as of April 30, only 174 or 11.05 percent of the 1,574 local government units have approved Local Public Transport Route Planning (LPTRP).

While the deadline for the transport sector to consolidate into cooperatives was set on April 30, the senators noted that the LGUs and the DOTr still have until 2026 to fully comply with the complete LPTRPs.