Marcos says no extension for Dec 31 deadline for PUV consolidation

MANILA (UPDATED) — The December 31 deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUV) will no longer be extended, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said Tuesday amid appeals and protests from some transport groups.

• PISTON announces 2-day transport strike this week

In a post on X, the Philippine leader said that the decision was made following a meeting with transport officials.

“Currently, 70 percent of all operators have already committed to and consolidated under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP),” Marcos said.

“We cannot let the minority cause further delays, affecting majority of our operators, banks, financial institutions, and the public at large," he added.

Marcos further said that adhering to the current timeline “ensures that everyone can reap the benefits of the full operationalization of our modernized public transport system.”

“Hence, the scheduled timeline will not be moved,” he said.

DEADLINE WILL AFFECT THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS, OPERATORS

In a statement on Tuesday, transport group PISTON warned that, based on government figures, a majority of public utility jeeps and UV Express vans will not be able to ply routes after December 31.

"Katumbas ito ng mahigit 60,000 na mga tsuper at 25,000 na mga operator na dadagdag sa lumalaking bilang ng mga walang trabaho sa NCR pa lang," Mody Floranda, national president of transport group PISTON, said Tuesday.

(That is equal to more than 60,000 drivers and 25,000 operators who will join the growing number of unemployed in NCR alone.)

PISTON added that only a few Local Public Transport Route Plans have been released and local governments are not ready for franchise consolidation.

The group said that commuters will ultimately have to bear the burden of problems with the public utility vehicle modernization program.

PISTON is planning a transport strike on December 14 to 15 to push the government to reconsider its decision to implement the Dec 31 consolidation deadline.

With Marcos' decision, the transport group said, there is even more reason to protest.

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