Senator Alan Peter Cayetano has vowed to look into the concerns of transport groups that struggling to comply with the government’s proposed modernization program. 

Cayetano, during a press conference on November 25 in Baguio City, said he is ready to look into the plight of the drivers who are having a hard time with modernizing their units due to the high cost and the difficulty of getting loans.

The senator said he understands the struggles of transport groups, which were among those badly affected by the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He noted that though the country has already overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, many people still continue to face economic setback. 

“Just because the pandemic is over and big businesses have recovered, doesn’t mean all Filipinos have already recovered,” the senator said.

Cayetano pointed out that the previous Duterte administration had not taken the differences among localities into consideration and instead presented a “one-size-fits-all” transport modernization program.

“Kung sa gamot walang cure-all, sa programa ng gobyerno lalo in a country with more than 7,000 islands, wala namang one-size-fits-all (There’s no cure-all when it comes to government programs especially in a country with more than 7,000 islands. There’s no one-size-fits-all),” he said.

"Kasi hindi pare-pareho. May mga lugar na mas malalaki ang highway so mas maraming jeep than tricycle. Dito sa Baguio maraming taxi, then the buses papunta ng [malalayong lugar tulad ng] Dagupan, Nueva Ecija, Manila (Because nothing is the same. There are places that have bigger highways, so they can accommodate more jeepneys and tricycle. In Baguio, there are so many taxis, then there are buses that go to far-flung places, in Dagupan, Nueva Ecija, Manila),” he added.

Cayetano said he believes one of the programs he initiated –Presyo, Trabaho, Kita (PTK) which means price, job and income—will be a “win-win” solution for them, since it has proven to be effective in addressing the needs of sectoral groups that struggle with taking out loans.

The lawmaker said he is sure transport groups would be willing to modernize their units as long as they can get a similar arrangement as the groups benefitting from the PTK program. 

“Basta win-win, most drivers and operators will agree to a modernization,” he said.