MANILA — Members of the academe and a legal expert urged the government on Tuesday to overhaul the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) to ensure a just transition for jeepney operators and drivers.

Just transition means making sure that benefits of the modernization program are shared widely and that those who will be affected by it will not be left behind.

'One last chance': LTFRB to reopen PUV consolidation anew until November 29

Their call comes ahead of the supposed final deadline for individual jeepney operators to consolidate their franchises into a transport cooperative or corporation. Those who fail to comply will no longer be allowed to ply their routes.

Retired UP Los Baños professor Teodoro Mendoza said that, as it stands, the PTMP goes against nine of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, including the first one: No poverty.

“Ang lifeline ng marami ay nasa jeepney… E di lalong dadami ang mga mahihirap kasi mawawalan ng trabaho,” said Mendoza in a webinar organized by the Freedom from Debt Coalition.

(The jeepney is a lifeline for many and many could go into poverty because of the loss of livelihood)

He said that instead of forcing jeepney operators to shell out a huge amount of money to consolidate franchises and modernize their units, there should be a transition stage where they are allowed to rehabilitate their old jeepneys at a lower cost.

'One last chance': LTFRB to reopen PUV consolidation anew until November 29

“I-allow natin ang pag-overhaul or remanufacture ng engines that will reduce considerably their emissions,” he said.

(Let us allow them to overhaul or remanufacture their engines to reduce their emissions considerably)

In his paper on the “blind sides” of the PTMP, Mendoza also pointed out that the current cost of modern jeepneys is too high for transport workers without sufficient government subsidy.

Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) operators, led by the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), gather outside the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Central Office in Quezon City on August 27, 2024, to file petitions and affidavits seeking to withdraw from the government-mandated consolidation program. The consolidation initiative, which is part of the broader Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), faces opposition from various transport groups, including PISTON, due to concerns over its impact on small operators and drivers. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

He said that assuming a unit cost of P2.6 million, government financing will not be enough to fully implement fleet upgrades.

“Eh saan po kukunin yun? Yung DBP (Development Bank of the Philippines), LBP (Land Bank of the Philippines) combined finance is P2.5 billion. Ayan ho ay para sa 1,000 units lamang,” he said.

(Where will they get that? The DBP and LBP combined finance is P2.5 billion. That is only enough for 1,000 units)

Supporters of the program said consolidation will help make the cost of fleet upgrades easier to bear since it will be shared by members of the transport cooperatives. 

Mendoza also warned about the modernization program’s inflationary effects since fares would likely go up, along with the cost of transporting goods.

“Paano mata-transport ang pagkain? Mga gulay, mga isda, mga prutas— ang pinagsasakyan natin mga tradisyunal na jeepney. So tataas ang halaga ng pagkain,” he added.

(How will food be transported? Vegetable, fish, fruits — those are usually transported by traditional jeepneys. So food prices will go up)

RELATED: Jeepney modernization may mean higher fares, fewer routes — think tank

'PROGRAM CONTRADICTS GOAL'

For Atty. Christian Yalung of the Community Legal Help and Public Interest Center, who also wrote a position paper on the issue, the PTMP also contradicts the very reason it was created in the first place.

Yalung noted that the PTMP was launched by the Department of Transportation in 2017 as part of the Philippines’ efforts to abide by the Paris Agreement, which is aimed at combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

But Yalung pointed out that the program may have even increased greenhouse gas emissions, albeit unintentionally.

Citing numbers from the Land Transportation Office, Yalung said only 6,000 modern jeepneys were added to the public transport system from 2017 to 2022 while there was an average annual increase of 54,000 newly registered cars during the same period.

Motorcycle registrations also increased.

“Because the stagnation in the number of new franchises for traditional jeepneys effectively limited the supply of available public transportation. So more people are compelled to acquire private cars (and motorcycles),” he said.

Yalung, who also serves as one of the counsels for those who have filed a petition against the PTMP before the Supreme Court, laid down their arguments as well as to how the program violates the constitutional rights of stakeholders.

This includes the violation of their right to due process, equal protection, freedom of association— or in this case, non-association

He also agued that it is a violation of the Public Service law because of the cancellation of the Certificates of Public Convenience of unconsolidated operators without prior notice or a hearing.

“To remedy the situation, the respondents issued a memorandum circular which provides for a show cause order after the CPCs are already deemed canceled,” he said, but added that the high court has yet to decide on the matter. 

THE BACOLOD EXPERIENCE

One researcher also looked into the experience of jeepney operators and drivers in Bacolod City, which is among the first local government units to implement route rationalization and fleet modernization.

Arvin Dimalanta of the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies Program on Alternative Development said a common trend he and his co-researchers observed among them was how they were compelled to join or form a transport service entity (TSE) out of fear of losing their livelihoods.

And when they did, Dimalanta said they also did not receive proper guidance and education about the intricacies of consolidation and operating as a TSE— making them prone to abuse.

"Kung wala kang ganung klaseng guidance and education, itong operators are really prone to being misled, deceived or exploited… Nagiging vulnerable sila to manipulation by itong mga sinister entities,” he said.

(Without that guidance and education, these operators are really prone to being misled, deceived or exploited... they become vulnerable to manipulation by sinister entities)

Now as the government plans to fully implement the program after the November 29 deadline, the panelists hope that these issues will first be addressed.

PISTON and Manibela, transport groups opposed to the program, have meanwhile said that they are planning more protests.