Ni NOEL ABUEL
Tahasang tinutulan ni House Ways and Means chair at Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda ang bantang pag-phase out ng public utility jeepney (PUJ) sa bansa sa Hunyo 30.
Apela pa nito sa administrasyong Marcos na pabilisin ang kooperatiba at pagbibigay ng mga subsidy para sa public utility jeepney (PUJ) modernization program ng gobyerno, dahil may 50,000 tradisyunal na PUJ ang hindi pa napagsasama-sama at maaaring mawalan ng prangkisa dahil sa Memorandum Circular No. 2023- 13 na inisyu ng Land Transport Regulatory and Franchising Board (LTFRB).
Samantala, ang mga magkakaroon ng kooperatiba ay maaaring ma-renew ng kanilang mga provisional license hanggang sa katapusan ng 2023.
“Totally, I oppose it without government providing concrete assistance to help PUJs cooperativize or to provide ample seed funding for their cooperatives. Even the end-2023 extension is not enough,” ani Salceda.
Sinabi ni Salceda na maghahain ito ng resolusyon na hihilingin sa House Committee on Transportation na isuspinde ng nasabing memorandum circular.
“I think the policy is especially cruel and inhumane when there are no longer any PUJ subsidies in the budget. Cruel and inhumane when you consider that jeepney drivers were among the hardest-hit sectors over the past three years,” aniya.
Nanawagan din si Salceda sa Department of Transportation at LTFRB na makipagtulungan sa mga lokal na pamahalaan para gumawa ng sistema kung saan ang mga local government unit ay magtatatag at magpapatakbo ng mga modernized jeepneys.
“PUJs are a public utility, both by nature and by law, in the Public Service Act amendments. So, they are imbued with a greater sense of purpose than purely commercial enterprises. Public transport, arguably, should be run by the state. Ideally, at least,” pahayag pa nito.
“In the absence of that, we should work with local governments, provincial governments in particular, and among NCR mayors, so that LGU-led cooperatives or corporations can run the routes instead, with the displaced PUV drivers are regular employees. That will help rationalize routes better, create more dependable livelihoods for transport workers, and lead to better traffic conditions,” dagdag ni Salceda.
Sa pagtataya ni Salceda, nasa 800k hanggang 1.2 milyong mga pasahero sa NCR lamang, habang ang pangunahing paraan ng transportasyon sa pagitan ng mga bayan sa mga lalawigan.
“In the provinces, we also do not have the same degree of problems with PUJs as NCR does. Besides, congestion and pollution are not singularly the fault of old jeepneys. So, this policy totally hurts us in the provinces more than it hurts you in the cities,” giit nito.
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