DOTr Sec. Tugade: Be consistent for change!
We cannot fault the Department of Transportation (DOTr) under Secretary Art Tugade for trying his best to bring change to the venerable jeepney that has not changed in the last 70 years after the end of World War II when the Americans left thousands of MacArthur jeeps where enterprising and creative Filipinos turned them in our present mass transportation system. Seventy years later, we haven’t changed this antiquated system.
Then came the 2016 Presidential elections that ushered City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte into the Presidency of the Philippines on the promise of giving Filipinos a rare wisp of change that no Philippine President ever dared to venture. This change is apparently coming when the Duterte administration embarked on a new program dubbed the P2.2 Billion Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which could affect 200,000 jeepneys from all over the country. In my Freeman column a week ago, we asked the question whether our jeepney drivers would embrace this program?
Coincidentally, last week, ANC came up with an interview with officials from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which was entitled, “What will the future Filipino Jeepney look like?” The ANC discussion apparently focused on that proposed public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program, which smacks also what I discussed in my column last week.
The DTI official apparently pointed out that they would gather feedback on the design of the new jeepney until August 15 and will submit them to the DOTr that plans to roll out the program this month and will decide on the manufacturing of the PUVs. So in a way this is not yet a done deal. However it is not really a phaseout plan.
But last Monday I was quite dismayed to hear the report about another mass transport protest staged by the members of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) who are complaining about the jeepney phaseout program. While PISTON Pres. George San Mateo wants Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to hear their plight, obviously he doesn’t realize that the message he is sending to the Filipino commuters is that, his organization is not willing to change for the better!
My suggestion is to have a “Damn-the-torpedoes” attitude and ram this change down the Jeepney organization’s throats whether they would accept it or not! I dare say that the Filipino commuters have shown an uncanny patience by tolerating those unruly, more-often-than-not-ill-disciplined jeepney drivers as if the whole nation owed them their jobs. So the time has come to implement this program, as we needed it yesterday!
While we laud the DOTr for promoting this new change by the Duterte administration, it seems that the old thinking is still prevalent within the officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) seems to be stuck to the old ways. I’m referring to that report where the LTFRB imposed a fine of P5 million each for Uber and Grab Taxi last week for violating LTFRB rules and by July 26, they would crack down on 50,000 Uber and Grab Taxis.
I reckon that LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra, III apparently cannot accept this new worldwide concept and chose to remain to the old outdated LTFRB system of operating Transport Network Companies (TNCs) or Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) where
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