Tricycles are the poorest and most marginalized among transport groups, but the sector’s leading organization, NCR Toda Coalition, with over 500,000 members organized under 17 Metro Manila federations of Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (Todas), may offer better solutions to lessen the impact of fuel prices, toxic emissions and costs of transport modernization.
When dole-out turns dull? Government offers jeepney drivers a dole-out called “Pantawid Pasada” through debit cards with P5,000 per jeepney in the first year, but computations show that, while it will cost government P1 billion for 200,000 jeepney drivers, the dole-out won’t make much dent.
Some P977 million is allocated this year, while P3.86 billion is earmarked reportedly for 2019 as subsidies for jeepney drivers. At P5,000 subsidy a year alone on a consumption of 30 liters/day on 300 days a year or 9,000 liters, this translates to P0.55/liter (P5,000/9000 liters), insignificant enough and lower than the P1 to P2/liter already given by oil firms.
From cash to support in kind. Ace Sevilla, NCR Toda Coalition head, said giving out cash through individual debit cards will not create an impact, as the money may be spent on cigarettes, alcohol, lottery or gambling. Sevilla suggests the Pantawid Pasada be invested instead on maintenance and education.
Apart from financing for Jeepney modernization, what must be included in the financing equation is funding for a maintenance program per association or cooperative. Perhaps, the Pantawid Pasada and the P80,000 equity subsidy per jeepney replacement can be consolidated to fund maintenance centers.
Section 3 of the Clean Air Act calls for “Pollution Prevention than Control” and “Information and Education.” Section 11 mandates the government to make available information on best practices on maintenance, techniques and technologies to prevent air pollution.
Left out, but doing right? Although tricycles are excluded from the Pantawid Pasada, even if they pay higher for gasoline at P54/liter and are poorer with operators earning only P150 to P250 and drivers a few hundred pesos a day, the government must learn from the NCR Toda Coalition led by Sevilla, who said they spend on their own experiments.
Their experiments, called Tricyclean, reduced hydrocarbon emissions from 10,043 parts per million to 120 ppm, or a hefty 98.8-percent drop. At 120 ppm, this is already 880 percent better than the 1,000-ppm Emission Standards for tricycles and motorcycles beyond July 1, 2017, as provided under Department of Environment and Natural Resources Administrative Order No. 4 (DAO 4) of 2015 issued on March 24, 2015.
Carbon-monoxide levels were also reduced by 99.967 percent, from 6.09 percent to 0.002 percent, which is 124,900 percent better than the allowable emission standards of 2.5 percent under the same DAO 4 of 2015.
Sevilla said that, by shifting to much-improved four-stroke engines coupled with super maintenance systems that could double mileage, this results in 50-percent fuel savings.
Why not mandate cooperatives? Sevilla, who heads Pasay’s transport cooperative Pambokoop, appealed for a fast-track registration program for transport associations. Cooperative Development Authority Administrator Buddy Santos welcomes the idea. After all, Memorandum Order 116 issued by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo encourages tricycle drivers to form cooperatives.
More legislation and support are needed, but definitely cooperatives are the only choice for transport and the government. After all, past government financing with transport cooperatives enjoy repayments of 97 percent. Transport cooperatives enjoy tax exemptions, thus a 12-percent value-added tax exemption alone translates to an additional savings of P6.48/liter against the P54/liter price.
Try Tricyclean program. Sevilla said, “If the government can give money easily to jeepneys, they must fairly support our Tricyclean program, which involves education and maintenance, more so as we have shown viable proof of its
effectiveness.
“Tricycle drivers deserve all the support from the government, as they were bullied into poverty and were victims of the dumping of various technologies like Retrofit technology of Colorado and the LPG conversion kits, which all failed without after-sales support, but rammed down their throats anyway. They were forced to junk their old two-stroke engines to purchase new four-stroke engines, and are again offered electric tricycles [E-trikes], costing P350,000 to P450,000 each, which would raise amortizations to P480/day, more than the P200 a day boundary income of operators, Sevilla said.
“Thus, we were forced to launch ‘Tricyclean’ to seek solutions to emissions and create livelihood programs,” Sevilla said.
Even if marginalized, the sector contributes so much to the economy owing to its huge members who drive the most ubiquitous public transportation. At 2 million tricycles nationwide, including “colorums,” easily about 2 million breadwinners depend on the industry, thus making them a political force to reckon with come election time.
E-mail: mikealunan@yahoo.com.
2 comments
PANTAO TODA is coming soon!
Aiming as Partylist for Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association. We support their holistic advocacy!