By
Aileen P. Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY – Officers and members of jeepney associations in this summer capital aired their grievance and concerns in a dialogue with the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Cordillera brokered by Mayor Benjamin Magalong last July 16.
The Federation of Jeepney Operators and
Drivers Association Baguio-Benguet (FEJODABB) headed by president Patricio
Evangelista expressed their position on the Public Utility Vehicle
Modernization Program (PUVMP) of the Dept. of Transportation before LTO-CAR Regional
Director Francis Ray Almora, LTFRB-CAR officer-in-charge Regional Director
Lalaine Sobremonte and former Undersecretary for Road Transport and
Infrastructure of the Dept. of Transportation Tim Orbos.
FEJODABB members said they do not oppose
the modernization plan in its entirety but they want the replacement scheme to
be realistic and considerate of the financial standing of ordinary operators.
They said the government-endorsed
loan-based group purchase sets costs that are prohibitive to a common jeepney
operator.
They suggested that instead of totally
decommissioning their units, they be allowed to upgrade or replace only parts
that need improvement to achieve a road worthy status.
“The cost of the new unit is too high and
many of us will not be able to afford it so why not allow us to undertake our
own upgrading after all with Baguio’s terrain, we cannot afford to have units
that are not well-maintained,” Rey Bacoco, president of the United Metro
Baguio-Benguet Jeepney Federation (UMBBJF) said.
Almora said the program addresses said
concerns with the provision of schemes to make the acquisition and settlement
of the loan doable and ensure that operators can pay for their modern units and
at the same time pay their drivers regularly.
He said the government will give the
transport groups a free hand to decide what units to acquire.
According to the LTFRB, the PUVMP fleet
modernization aims to provide “modern PUV designed to be environment-friendly,
safe, secure and convenient with due consideration to our
Persons-with-Disabilities (PWDs) passengers.”
“The PUVMP also encourages industry
consolidation or the strategic merging of smaller transport industry players to
form into a consortium either by forming cooperatives or corporations; and to
soften the impact and assist small operators who will be affected by the PUVMP,
a special loan program with Landbank and DBP is being proposed which will
provide access to operators and drivers to adequate funding.”
To have a better understanding of the
PUVMP, Mayor Magalong urged jeepney groups to attend the caravan on July 30
where the new units will be showcased and where the program will be explained
further.
The mayor said he will hold another
dialogue at 10 a.m. on the same date at the City Hall Multipurpose Hall.
He said the caravan serves as information
drive and as a tool to force local drivers to accept the program.
“Let’s listen first and then let’s decide
and let ourselves be heard,” the mayor said.
On the period of compliance to the
program, Orbos reiterated the earlier assurance of the DoTr that jeepney groups
in the city will not be forced to comply with the June 2020 deadline if the
specified prototype unit prescribed for the city and the Cordillera region’s
topographic condition will remain unavailable.
The reckoning period for compliance to
the modernization will begin once the suitable unit which is Class 4 for
mountainous areas like Baguio City, will become available.
At present, only the Class 1-3 types are
obtainable so period for compliance in the city remained unenforceable.
On the association’s long pending
petition to increase the fare rate by P1, Almora and Sobremonte said it is
being worked out with DoTr Secretary Arthur Tugade who had committed to speed
up the review of and decision on the petition.
Sobremonte said jeepney groups can expect
a development on the petition within the next two weeks.
City readies relocation site of night
market
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