Modernization can proceed with 85% transport consolidation — DoTr

THE GOVERNMENT’S Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) can proceed with 85% industry consolidation, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) told congressmen looking into the viability of the plan on Thursday.

As of Dec. 31, compliance for public land transportation consolidation was at 76%, accounting for 146,897 public utility vehicle (PUV) units, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Addressing the Transportation Committee hearing, DoTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the government expects another 10% of PUVs consolidated into a cooperative or corporation by April 30, the extended deadline authorized by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last month.

“With an 86% or 85% consolidation rate, we think we can implement this program successfully,” Mr. Bautista told the committee and cited a study conducted during the previous administration that PUVs can be modernized with a 65% industry consolidation.

“The study, which was conducted in the previous government, does not require even a 75% consolidation,” he said.

Under the PUVMP, operators must consolidate individual franchises under cooperatives or corporations to facilitate the acquisition of new, environmentally friendly transport vehicles.

GO AFTER HIGH-EMISSION VEHICLES FIRST — LAWMAKER

During the hearing, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan S. Fernandez asked transportation agencies pushing for the modernization to go after vehicles that contribute higher carbon emissions first, instead of targeting jeepneys used by daily commuters.

“Our jeepneys contribute a small percentage in [carbon emissions.] Why focus on them?” Mr. Fernandez asked the committee in Filipino.

Citing data from the Land Transportation Office, Mr. Fernandez said that there are 1.27 million private cars in 2022. “Prioritize [modernizing] private cars…airplanes, and sea cargo that contribute to the country’s pollution,” he said.

Earlier, Albay Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente S. Salceda said a traditional jeepney produces about 0.33 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per passenger in a year.

Meanwhile, Party-list Rep. Raoul Danniel A. Manuel urged the LTFRB to strengthen its oversight function over transport cooperatives and manufacturers of PUVs on after-sales services.

A video presented to the committee by Party-list Rep. Bonifacio L. Bosita last week showed several modern PUVs reportedly abandoned in a garage in Baybay, Iloilo.

In a meeting, members of the cooperative members that owned the unused modern jeeps cited the lack of spare parts and after-sales services, as well as the continued suspension of the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) in Iloilo, for their inactivity, said LTFRB Officerin-Charge Mercy Jane ParasLeynes.