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Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

Several transport groups are set to hold a &quot;Unity Walk&quot; on Monday, August 5, to express their dismay over the recent Senate resolution pushing for the suspension of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).In a press conference on Friday, TINDIG Calabarzon President Ed Comia said around 5,000 transport cooperative and corporation members and drivers will march from Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City all the way to Malacañang, their modern and traditional jeepney units in tow. They want President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to either junk the resolution or simply ignore it. <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/31/senators-seek-temporary-suspension-of-puv-modernization-program-915" id="isPasted">Senators seek temporary suspension of PUV modernization </a></div> “Kinakailangan namin (mag-rally) dahil baka magoyo ng Senado ang aming Pangulo. Nagagalit kasi ang mga miyembro sapagkat sumunod ka na nga sa gobyerno, ikaw pa yung binalewala,” said Comia. The groups said they represent 83 percent, or majority of public utility vehicles in the country. That’s why they believe the President should side with them. “Hindi namin gusto na maparalisa nang lubusan ang biyahe sa Lunes pero kung talagang darating ang panahon na ito ang mangyari, kayang-kaya naming patayin ang paggulong ng ekonomiya dahil sa transportasyon,” Comia said.According to Comia, each transport cooperative has borrowed at least P100,000 from different financial institutions so they could modernize their fleet. But he said the chances of them being able to pay that back is slim if the government would suspend the modernization program, and with it, the equity subsidy they are getting from the government. “Sa Metro Comet umaabot na ng halos kalahating bilyon ang utang namin sa mga bangko. Kapag sinuspinde yan automatic yan papalya sa pagbabayad ng utang. Bagsak pati mga pinagkautangan,” he said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/30/dotr-says-filipino-transport-groups-supportive-of-puv-modernization-program-1833" id="isPasted">DOTr says Filipino transport groups &#x27;supportive&#x27; of PUV modernization program </a> </div>“Paano na kami, isasauli ang nagastos namin? Sinong magsasauli?” echoed Danilo Yumul, the Chairman of the Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator sa Pilipinas. To prevent bankruptcy, they said the government should just address the shortfalls of the program instead of halting it. “Kabilang po dyan ang pagdaragdag ng budget sa programa, pagpapataas ng tulong subsidiya, pagpapababa ng presyo ng mga sasakyan,” said Comia. But the groups clarified that their protest action is not a transport strike per se, saying that some of their colleagues will continue to ply their routes. But they did acknowledge that it may result in traffic congestion. Still, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), in coordination with local government units, vowed to provide free rides to mitigate any inconvenience that the protest action may cause to commuters. <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/21/groups-seek-house-help-to-get-jeepneys-back-on-road-after-puvmp-deadline-1532" id="isPasted">Groups seek House help to get jeepneys back on road after PUVMP deadline</a></div> LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III also acknowledged the group’s right to rally. &quot;We respect the right of drivers and operators to free expression as enshrined in the Constitution, and we acknowledge the concerns of the transport sector,” he said in a statement. One commuter group also joined the press conference in support of the consolidated transport entities, asserting that it’s the riding public who will suffer in the end if the program is pushed aside. “Sino po ba ang naapi sa usapang ito? Sino po ba ang naho-holdap dyan sa mga lumang sasakyan? Sino ang nababasa ng ulan, sino po ba ang namamatay sa road crash sa mga lumang sasakyan?,” asked Elvira Medina, the President of the National Center for Commuters Safety and Protection. <div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/14/sc-urged-to-halt-puv-modernization-program-as-apprehension-looms-1151" id="isPasted">SC urged to halt PUV modernization program as apprehension looms </a></div> The Department of Transportation (DOTr) meanwhile insisted that, at least for now, the implementation of the PTMP continues. “The last time that we talked to the President, tuloy ang programa. Ibigay natin what’s due our drivers and operators and let’s give what’s due our commuters. Even after nagkaroon ng hearing sa Senado, tuloy ang komunikasyon ng ating Secretary sa Pangulo at ang direksyon po natin dito sa DOTr ay tuloy-tuloy po,” said DOTr Undersecretary Andy Ortega.

Several transport groups are set to hold a "Unity Walk" on Monday, August 5, to express their dismay over the recent Senate resolution pushing for the suspension of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).

Several transport groups are set to hold a "Unity Walk" on Monday, August 5, to express their dismay over the recent Senate resolution pushing for the suspension of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).

Pro-jeepney modernization groups to stage rally on Monday

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Pro-jeepney modernization groups to stage rally on Monday

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 02, 2024 10:42 PM PHT

Read More:

Jeepney modernization program

Senate resolution

Suspension of PUVMP

Consolidation

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