The modernization of jeepneys will be “unfair” to drivers and operators who couldn’t yet afford to upgrade their vehicles due to the coronavirus pandemic, Vice President Leni Robredo said on Sunday, Oct. 11.
During her radio show, “BISerbisyong Leni,” Robredo noted while jeepney owners and drivers are not against the modernization program, they need help from the government to comply with the requirements.
Robredo appealed anew to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to ensure “no jeepney driver will be left behind” in the program.
“Ang problema hindi ka nagko-comply hindi dahil sa ayaw mo pero hindi mo kaya. Iyon naman ang tingin ko hindi makatarungan. Para sa akin, tulungan sila kasi wala sa kanila niisa na kontra,” she said.
(The problem is you don’t comply not because you don’t want to but because you’re not capable. I think that’s unfair. For me, they should help them because no one is against it.)
Last week, Robredo spoke with transport group leaders from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog during a consultation meeting held in her office at the Quezon City Reception House.
Robredo said they offered livelihood and job opportunities to help them and their families to cope during the pandemic.
The VP encouraged jeepney drivers to look for jobs through the Sikap.PH website under her “Bayanihanapbuhay’ program.
They would no longer need to leave their homes to apply for jobs, as it can be accessed online. To date, the platform has 18,170 job openings.
Among the available jobs are in Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, Cebu, Cavite, Rizal, Benguet, Bulacan, Pampanga, Negros Occidental, and in other areas.
“We told them that we will help them apply because some of them have no gadgets or access to the internet,” she said. “Apart from this, we also have a livelihood assistance program where they can apply because it is available for those who need it.”
During their meeting, Robredo said the transport groups also shared their concerns about the agencies using the pandemic to push for the jeepney modernization program.