PUVMP issues: Debunking the misbeliefs
It is high time that we ignore these misleading and fake news as these do not help our country’s development
As the adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic takes a toll on the livelihood of many of our countrymen, it is inevitable that a close watch be made on government’s every step and scrutinize the strategies that have been laid out as solutions.
But as several solutions are being proposed and executed, critics have also used the situation to spread false claims that only add to the heavy burden many of us are now carrying. One of these unnecessary complications is the unjust and inaccurate attacks on the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
False claims are being thrown at this transformational initiative, especially now that the country is facing an unprecedented health crisis. While it is acceptable for many to feel sympathy for the affected stakeholders, such as the drivers and the operators of traditional jeepneys, allow us to clarify important points in order to highlight the actual goal of the program.
They say that the Department of Transportation
(DoTr) intends to “kill” the livelihood of the drivers and operators of traditional jeepneys and that the agency is anti-poor, heartless and cold toward ordinary citizens, as it implements the modernization program amid the pandemic.
Detractors of the PUVMP may have that impression, but doing what is right for the majority is what we really intend to do.
We cannot correct a mistake by committing another mistake. What the detractors want as the solution to the problem is to bring back danger on the road by allowing traditional jeepneys to ply our roads. For the record, these old and dilapidated PUV units are the ones that do kill.
The thick black smoke emitted by old traditional jeepneys is life-threatening. Scientific studies show what air pollution can do. In fact, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), more than 80 percent of the air pollution in Metro Manila come from the unabated emissions of motor vehicles.
During this time that we need to further strengthen our immune system amid a respiratory disease, air pollution is the last thing we need.
Second, because these traditional jeepneys are already obsolete and are hardly being maintained, they are often involved in numerous road crashes. Here in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the 2016-2019 data from the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, (MMDA), road crashes involving public utility jeepneys account for 33,230 incidents of property damage, 130 fatal injuries and 6,777 nonfatal injuries.
On the issue that the PUVMP is intently being implemented amid the pandemic, our answer is a firm NO.
The DoTr did not intend for the PUVMP implementation to take effect during this pandemic. If we can recall, the PUVMP has been going on since 2017. We have given our traditional jeepney drivers and operators three years to consolidate and acquire modern units. And we even extended the deadline until December 2020. The program has started years before the COVID-19 outbreak.
On the issue that we are being antipoor, we would like to reiterate that we are not anti-poor, but we are against poverty. Is it considered anti-poor if we want our drivers to be salaried? To have the boundary system removed? To have the country’s decrepit transportation system transformed?
We cannot correct a mistake by committing another mistake. What the detractors want as the solution to the problem is to bring back danger on the road by allowing traditional jeepneys to ply our roads.
Detractors also peddle the fallacy that we are taking advantage of the pandemic to phase out old traditional jeepneys and push the PUVMP.
But the question is: Will traditional jeepneys be still allowed to ply our roads again? The answer is YES. Following the hierarchy of transportation, they will be allowed to operate, provided that their units are roadworthy.
Now, there are leftist groups that accuse the DoTr of allegedly having a hand in setting the prices for these modern PUV. Again, the cost of these units depends on the manufacturer based on the design, quality and size of the vehicle.
It is also untruthful to state that the modern units are only made in China. There are 51 models of 33 manufacturers from where the drivers and operators can choose from. Most of the models are also proudly made and assembled here in the Philippines, that in turn provides jobs for thousands of workers.
Is this, too, anti-poor?
It is high time that we ignore these misleading and fake news as these do not help our country’s development.
Finally, support and cooperation are what the government truly needs now. Not these heartless fallacies, fake news and unjust allegations being thrown at the department, which only wants to do what is right because our people deserve the best.
After all, is it not the right time for the commuters to be tagged as the real “king of the roads”?