JEEPNEY MODERNIZATION | Lawmaker seeks P31.57-billion budget for traditional jeepney rehabilitation

December 1, 2023 , 09:30 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(December 1, 2023) – A minority lawmaker on Friday proposed the allocation of P31.57-billion funding for rehabilitating traditional jeepneys, amid opposition of some jeepney groups to the government’s modernization program.

Gabriela Congresswoman Arlene Brosas said she has formally written to the Lower House leadership to introduce the suggestion in the 2024 budget bill, noting this would be able to subsidize the replacement of engines for 63,000 public utility vehicle (PUV) units.

The lawmaker said the funds for this can be taken from the confidential funds of civilian agencies or from the P10-billion budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). Some minority lawmakers, including Brosas, have opposed the inclusion of these funds in the national budget.

“Sa matagal na panahon, wala namang naging suporta ang pamahalaan para i-rehabilitate at upgrade ang ating mga jeepney,” Brosas said.

“It is about time that we preserve our cultural icon to save thousands of jobs by financing their upgrades in the 2024 budget, without forcing them to consolidate into cooperatives… We formally wrote to the House leadership to convey the demand for PUV rehabilitation. Sana ay makinig ang gobyerno.”

A bicameral conference committee, composed of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress have been threshing out conflicting provisions between both versions of the P5.768 trillion 2024 budget bill before it is transmitted to Malacañang for the president’s approval.

Last week, various jeepney groups led by Piston and Manibela staged transport strikes that spanned five days, voicing opposition to the government’s PUV modernization program over fears that its current form could lead hundreds of thousands of jeepney drivers and small-scale operators to lose their livelihood.

The jeepney groups have voiced concerns that the program would burden many driver and small-scale operators with the high cost of modern and “environmental friendly” jeepneys, which are priced at as high as P2.8 million each.

The groups also opposed the program’s franchise consolidation scheme that required PUV drivers and operators to join cooperatives and corporations before the December 31 deadline, which they believed could lead to a monopoly in the public transportation sector.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said it is still firm on the deadline of franchise consolidation, noting that 60% of jeepneys across the country have met the requirement for consolidation as of October.

(With reports from Marianne Enriquez, News5)

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