Suspension of the PUV modernization program demanded

By: Charie Abarca – 14 mins ago

FILE PHOTO: A banner at a terminal for jeepneys plying the Paco-Rotunda Nagtahan route in Manila expresses the local transport association’s intransigent stance on the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program. This photo was taken on January 2, 2023. INQUIRER/RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Senator Raffy Tulfo called for the suspension of the controversial PUV modernization program until all related issues are resolved.

The lawmakers made their point during the Senate Public Services Committee hearing on the PUV Modernization Act on Tuesday, July 23.

Escudero said he objected to the PUV modernization plan because it was not well thought out and would only burden the transportation sector.

“Did you pay 2.5 million pesetas per day, which means that at noon you met your operator or your driver? With a calculation that was nine years old, to earn an amount of 2.5 million pesetas per year, the driver was already estimated 24 years ago, until it took 24 hours for the driver and the young driver to get it,” stressed the Senate President.

(Where does the operator or the driver get the P2.5 million payments each? No matter what calculation you do, to pay the monthly installment for a PUV worth P2.5 million, 24 hours of driving will not be enough even if the driver overworks and gets a bump while the operator and driver still benefit.)

READ: PUV modernization: Philippine jeepneys out, imports from China in

Escudero called on Tulfo, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, to file a resolution expressing the opinion of the Senate and urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to temporarily suspend the PUVMP.

“I am sure that this is the case today and has expressed the determination to express the sense of the Senate to make the decision so that all those involved, many problems and a lot of problems are suspected. We want to modernize it,” Escudero said.

(So ​​instead of a bill or an amendment to it, we can immediately pass a resolution expressing the sentiments of the Senate and calling on the President to temporarily suspend the program until all problems, questions, and financial matters related to this modernization have been resolved.)

Escudero expressed high hopes for the appointment, especially after the President’s explosive State of the Union address in which he publicly announced an immediate nationwide ban on Philippine offshore gambling operators.

For the Senate chief, Marcos’ decisive order means that he is listening and has a feel for the pulse and opinion of the people.

READ: PUV modernization: Understanding operator and driver resistance

Tulfo welcomed Escudero’s proposal and agreed to submit a resolution to that effect.

“Absolutely, absolutely. “Ako made the decision to suspend the PUVMP government and got the approval of the Senate – the majority, the minority and even the Senate President,” Tulfo said during his panel’s public hearing on the PUV Modernization Act on Tuesday.

(Absolutely. I will file a motion to suspend this PUVMP and if my colleagues in the Senate support me in doing so – the majority, the minority and even the Senate President – ​​then so be it.)

In return, Escudero said he was willing to help Tulfo obtain the majority of signatures if he submitted the resolution in the next few days.

The government’s PUV modernization plan envisages an overhaul of the country’s concession system to provide safe and comfortable transportation options.

Despite publicly expressed concerns from the transport sector, Marcos had previously stressed that no driver would “lose his job and livelihood” under the PUVMP.