BAGUIO CITY – Officers and members of the jeepney associations in the city aired their grievance and concerns in a dialogue with the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Cordillera brokered by Mayor Benjamin Magalong last July 16.
The Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association Baguio-Benguet (FEJODABB) headed by president Patricio Evangelista expressed their position on the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) of the Department of Transportation before LTO-CAR Regional Director Francis Ray Almora, LTFRB-CAR Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Lalaine Sobremonte and former Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure of the Department of Transportation Tim Orbos.
FEJODABB members said they do not oppose the modernization plan in its entirety but they want the replacement scheme to be realistic and considerate of the financial standing of an ordinary operator.
They said the government-endorsed loan-based group purchase sets costs that are prohibitive to a common jeepney operator.
They suggested that instead of totally decommissioning they units, they be allowed to upgrade or replace only the parts that need improvement to achieve a road worthy status.
“The cost of the new unit is too high and many of us will not be able to afford it so why not allow us to undertake our own upgrading after all with Baguio’s terrain, we cannot afford to have units that are not well-maintained,” Rey Bacoco, president of the United Metro Baguio-Benguet Jeepney Federation (UMBBJF) said.
Almora said the program addresses said concerns with the provision of schemes to make the acquisition and settlement of the loan doable and ensure that operators can pay for their modern units and at the same time pay their drivers regularly.
He said the government will give the transport groups a free hand to decide what units to acquire.
According to the LTFRB, the PUVMP fleet modernization aims to provide “modern PUV designed to be environment-friendly, safe, secure and convenient with due consideration to our Persons-with-Disabilities (PWDs) passengers.”
“The PUVMP also encourages industry consolidation or the strategic merging of smaller transport industry players to form into a consortium either by forming cooperatives or corporations; and to soften the impact and assist small operators who will be affected by the PUVMP. A special loan program with Landbank and DBP is being proposed which will provide access to operators and drivers to adequate funding.”
To have a better understanding of the PUVMP, Mayor Magalong urged the jeepney groups to attend the caravan on July 30 where the new units will be showcased and where the program will be explained further.
The mayor said he will hold another dialogue at 10 a.m. on the same date at the City Hall Multipurpose Hall.
He said the caravan serves as information drive and as a coercing tool to force local drivers to accept the program.
“Let’s listen first and then let’s decide and let ourselves be heard,” the mayor said.
On the reckoning period of compliance with the program, Orbos reiterated the earlier assurance of the DoTr that jeepney groups in the city will not be forced to comply with the June 2020 deadline if the specified prototype units prescribed for the city and the Cordillera region’s topographic condition will remain unavailable.
The reckoning period for compliance with the modernization will begin once the suitable units which are Class 4 for mountainous areas like Baguio City, will become available.
At present, only the Class 1-3 types are obtainable so the reckoning period for compliance in the city remains unenforceable.
On the association’s long pending petition to increase the fare rate by P1, Almora and Sobremonte assured that it is being worked out with DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade who had committed to speed up the review of and the decision on the petition.
Sobremonte said jeepney groups can expect a development on the petition within the next two weeks.**Aileen P. Refuerzo
