‘LOOMING CRISIS’
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) passed a resolution urging the Senate and House of Representatives to address the “brewing crisis” due to the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
In its Resolution No. 371 submitted to the Senate on Tuesday, May 7, the SP said the government needs to promptly address and resolve “the current transport crisis to prevent an escalation into more severe social unrest consequent to massive economic dislocation of millions of Filipino families.”
“[It] has also seriously affected thousands of daily commuters, who have to stand in long queues under the heat of the sun for lack of PUVs that could take them to their respective destinations,” the resolution added.
The SP also called on the Congress to expedite the passage of legislative measures to address the issues raised by the transport sector on PUVMP.
Public hearings on current transport issues were recently conducted in Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives.
The resolution came after Kabacod Negros Transport Coalition (Knetco) expressed their concerns about PUVMP during the Bacolod SP session on May 3.
Knetco, under the No to PUV Phaseout Coalition, stated their objection to the PUVMP’s mandatory scheme, citing that the cost of consolidation is high and inhibitive, which will instantly render their traditional jeepney units useless as they had invested in them for years.
The group said the modernization program will deprive millions of families of their basic sources of income, and disenfranchise thousands of jeepney operators and drivers.
The latest data from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas (LTFRB-6) showed that 69.2 percent or 8,524 jeepney units in the region have been consolidated.
In Bacolod City, only 579 units or 27 percent underwent consolidation.
The LTFRB-6 said an estimated 2,500 unconsolidated jeepney units will lose their franchise after April 30, the final franchise consolidation deadline./JB,