When the national government announced the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) in 2019, the group of jeepney transport leader Rommel Odevilas immediately signed up in the hope that it would fulfill the promise of a better life for the operators and drivers of their association plying the Guadalupe-FTI route.
They agreed with the arguments raised by the PUVMP advocates about the need for climate change action, aside, of course from the goal of putting up a modern transportation system not only in Metro Manila but across the country. They also knew about the reality that the jeepney will eventually be replaced by modern PUVs since that is what the intention of the program was.
But with no money to bankroll the procurement of modern jeepneys, Odevilas said they were convinced by a leader of a major transport group to consolidate into a corporation with the help of a foreigner.
Consolidation into a corporation or a cooperative is one of the major requirements for the PUVMP, and Odevilas said they surrendered the franchise for the 57 units of the Guadalupe-FTI route in favor of the memorandum of agreement with the foreign financier.
It was the foreigner, according to Odevilas, who formed the corporation with the promise of P800 that would be given to each operator as a form of compensation for the franchise and a separate P700 daily payment for each of the drivers.
“Currently, there are 30 modern units running the route using our franchise but until now, they have not fulfilled their promise of the P800 daily for the operator,” said Odevilas.
This is the reason, according to Odevilas, why they withdrew their decision to withdraw the surrender of their franchise in September 2021 before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). But until now, he said the LTFRB is yet to decide on their petition.
Right now, he said the 57 traditional jeepneys can no longer be used since their franchise was already surrendered and currently being used by the corporation that did not fulfill its promise to compensate them for agreeing to consolidate.
Transport strike anew
This is one of the major reasons, according to Mody Florenda, national president of the Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), why they are holding another transport strike on Dec. 14 and 15.
Florenda said the story narrated by Odevilas was the same story he heard from several local and small transport groups that agreed to the consolidation being pushed by the national government through the LTFRB.
“Today (Dec. 11), we are declaring the conduct of the transport strike from Dec. 14 to 15. And this may be extended if the government, through the Department of Transportation and LTFRB, would not heed to our call to junk Department Order 2017-011 and lift the December 31 deadline for consolidation,” said Florenda.
The Department Order 2017-011 stipulates the franchising guidelines to which the group of Odevilas had agreed to do—and led to their members losing their means of livelihood.
On the other hand, Dec. 31 is the deadline given to transport groups to consolidate to either corporation or cooperative, otherwise, those who would not comply would lose their franchise which eventually means that they could no longer operate.
At one point, an LTFRB official was quoted saying that failure to consolidate would mean that those who would not comply would lose a document from LTRFB which is needed for the renewal of the registration of the traditional jeepneys before the Land Transportation Office.
Other transport leaders also claimed that they are also being threatened of losing their terminals if they would not consolidate.
Florenda said they expect around 100,000 of their members to join nationwide, adding that other groups have already signified their intention to join.
What happened to the dialogue?
On Nov. 20, Piston launched a three-day transport strike with the same reason why it is holding another transport strike. The group was later joined by transport group Manibela which extended the strike to Nov. 24.
Florenda said that they indeed held a dialogue with LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III wherein they presented the reasons why they initiated a strike, as well as their demands to address the plight of the operators and drivers that would be affected by the PUVMP policies.
Among the demands are the extension of the franchise of traditional jeepneys to five years, lifting of the Dec. 31 deadline for consolidation and changing some of the provisions of the Department Order 2017-011.
The LTRFB agreed to some of the demands which includes a promise that the traditional jeepneys will not be phased out after the Dec. 31 deadline for consolidation.
But both the LTFRB and the DOTr insisted that the Dec. 31 deadline for consolidation is non-negotiable.
What pissed off the Piston leaders, according to Florenda, is the LTFRB and DOTr officials’ usual reply that all their other demands would be studied.
“If they are indeed studying it, they might as well stop the implementation until such time that all the issues we raised are settled,” said Florenda.
Call for unity
Amid the usual government officials line downplaying the impact of the transport strike, Florenda called on other transport groups to unite, arguing that what is at stake is the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of jeepney operators and drivers.
Florenda said that they are not opposing the modernization, what they are fighting is for a systematic way of doing it that would also look after the welfare of the jeepney operators and drivers.
The case of the group of Odevilas, and the case of another transport group involving Antipolo-SM Megamall route, according to Florenda, is an example that operators and drivers are on the losing end of the PUV Modernization Program.