By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz
THE chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development on Tuesday asked the national government to study the impact of a proposal raised by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to phase out old jeepney units that have been on the road for more than 15 years.
Liberal Party Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City, panel chairman, warned that hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers and operators will be affected if the phaseout plan is implemented.
“The socioeconomic impact should be addressed first before we can phase out the old jeepneys,” Castelo said in a text message.
Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide President George San Mateo said the proposal to phase out old jeepneys will affect the livelihood of at least 600,000 jeepney drivers and more than 250,000 jeepney operators nationwide.
Last Monday jeepney drivers and operators held a protest in front of the DOTC office in Ortigas and LTO office in Quezon City to express their opposition to the Aquino administration’s plan to phase out public-utility jeepneys that are at least 15 years old.
Defending the government’s phaseout proposal, LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez said the move “is part of the modernization program of the transport department, but it is still a plan.”
He added that the LTFRB, supported by the DOTC under Secretary Joseph Emilio A. Abaya, has already drafted an order calling for the phasing out of old jeepneys.
“For 2016, jeepney operators may voluntarily phase their units out. Under the draft department order, we will start the actual phaseout of the old units by 2017,” Ginez said in an interview with the BusinessMirror on Tuesday.
For his part, the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations President Efren de Luna said jeepney drivers and operators should be given more time to prepare, and that loans should be extended to affected parties to buy e-jeepneys if the government wants to push through with its jeepney modernization program.
The jeepney phaseout scheme, according to the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), is not a modernization program but rather a “corporatization and monopolization” of an important sector of the country’s transportation system.
“We say no to the jeepney phaseout scheme. It will result in the loss of livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers and operators making a living out of the 300,000 jeepney units in the country,” the KMU said.
“It will subject a portion of jeepney drivers to exploitative conditions under the so-called fleet management scheme. It will definitely result in higher fares for passengers who will shoulder the cost of new vehicles,” it added.
(With Lorenz S. Marasigan)
Image credits: Roy Domingo
2 comments
The plan to phase-out old jeepneys will be a welcome development, especially in the overly clogged roads of Metro Manila. This has to be pursued as they have become dinosaurs on our roads. On the other hand, operators should be afforded time as well – in order to plan for it. Throw in a plan for the regulation of tricycles as well.
The government now has to move within a reasonable timeframe and be resolute. We do know that this association has thousands of members and supporters. And there are individuals who will take advantage of this and ‘act’ in their interest. So don’t balk, just do. It will be in the best interest of the public and the country.
What are the commuters going to do; Walk?