Recto to DOTr: Solve existing problems before pushing modern PUVs
Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto chided the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for its haste in replacing old jeepney units when it is still faced with backlogs in services.
Recto, during the interpellation on the proposed 170.3-billion budget of the DOTr for 2018, called on transport officials to prioritize more important projects and suspend the nationwide implementation of the jeepney modernization program.
“Why are you embarking on a new project or a new program? Hindi ba siguro tapusin muna iyong driver’s license at iyong plaka ng kotse bago mag-isip ng bagong programa, bagong proyekto (Shouldn’t we prioritize first the driver’s license and the car license plates before pushing a new program, a new project)?” Recto said.
Recto stressed the backlog in driver licenses and license plate, which the Land Transportation Office (LTO), an agency under the DOTr in charge of these, has yet to address.
Sen. JV Ejercito, vice chair of the Senate finance committee and sponsor of the DOTr budget, responded in behalf of the agency and said the procurement of the license plates is ongoing and the agency “has to push through” with the modernization plan within the next three years.
The expected delivery of license plates will be on the first quarter of 2018, Ejercito said.
Recto, however, said the DOTr should “test” first the program, or it will end up like the problem in license cards and plates that was inherited from the previous administration. Recto, in support of his argument, cited the 186-billion unused funds by the DOTr from its 2016 and 2017 budgets.
Ejercito agreed and said the program would have its pilot testing in Metro Manila, before implementing it nationwide.
“I still have my misgivings on that…because as we know, the earlier statements and I am hearing complaints already from different parts of the country. Gusto palitan kaagad lahat. (They want change right away.) I do not think they will be able to manage that, they cannot even spend their budget. And here they are embarking on a new program. Puwede nating isaisahin iyang budget ninyo. Let us see one by one,” urged Recto.
Recto said the DOTr’s “wellthought-of” program would also force jeepney operators to buy “more expensive” jeepney units worth 11.2 million to 11.6 million.
Based on his computation, the PUV modernization program would cost at least 1300 billion, and the government’s proposed seven-year loan program and subsidy of only 120 billion, would not be able to suffice for all affected jeepney operators and drivers.
Ejercito, however, said only 11.2 billion was allotted as 2018 budget support to the Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of Philippines (DBP), wherein operators can loan.
“Sometimes these programs are not well-thought-of. We have seen the budget in the Land Bank, and the DBP. How sure are they that that budget will continue there?” Recto said.
“Iyong babaguhin natin lahat ng jeep ay makaka-resolve ba ng traffic iyan? Saka na iyan, ayusin muna iyong EDSA; ayusin ninyo muna iyong traffic; ayusin muna iyong MRT. Bakit ang iniisip natin ay papalitan natin lahat ng jeep kaagad? (If we phase out all the jeepneys will it resolve the problem in traffic? Let’s first fix EDSA, the traffic, the MRT. Why do we even think of changing all the jeeps?)” he said.