AS commuters gird for a week-long transportation strike, lawmakers offered proposals to address the cause of jeepney drivers’ grumblings: the phase out of traditional Public Utility Vehicles under the government’s PUV modernization program, or “PUVMP.”
“You don’t have to modernize; you don’t [even] have to join a cooperative,” he said. “You can just shift out of the jeepney sector altogether if you want to. You get an outright P150,000 for trading your jeepney in.” “There are some jeepney operators who see buying the new jeeps on loan as too expensive. This helps them get out of the old system without the burden of new loans,” Salceda added.MEANWHILE, Quezon City Rep. Ralph Wendel P. Tulfo appealed to operators of Transport Network Vehicle Services to suspend surge pricing this week.
On the other hand, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Partylist Rep. Margarita Ignacia B. Nograles appealed to jeepney drivers and operators to consider the long-term benefits of the PUVMP. Nograles said transport groups and the government should find a middle ground that would allow the modernization program while ensuring the protection of drivers and operators.SALCEDA said he will manifest his proposal once the House Committee on Transportation conducts hearings based on his earlier resolution to evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of the PUVMP.