The plan of the government in phasing out the public utility jeepney (PUJ) should be given a second look, Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino said.

Tolentino thus joined Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, in advocating the restoration of jeepney drivers’ dignity.

During Tuesday’s (Feb. 28) plenary session,  Tolentino asked several questions which, he believed, once answered in a committee hearing would simplify and explain why the process (phasing out PUJ) should be stopped, improved, or should be given a longer transition period.

The Poe committee hearing on the planned phase out of jeepneys by the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is scheduled tomorrow (March 2) afternoon.

Tolentino’s questions are:

-  “How much was the government expenditure? If any, what is the total amount if there were contracted loans made concerning this jeepney modernization program?

- Was there a revision of the current car manufacturing program to include a hybrid jeepney modernization program? 

- Are there current importation programs underway or approved previously that would impact on this program?” Tolentino asked. 

“As a Caviteño, I grew up in an era wherein Leonardo Sarao from Silang, Cavite was really the king of jeepney manufacturing and the same is true with Malagasang Jeepney coming from Imus. So, I believe that we should give this a second look,” he stressed.

The health and livelihood of jeepney drivers should be the main consideration in implementing the jeepney modernization program.

Senator Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla emphasized this as he supported Poe's call to delay the phasing out of traditional jeepneys so jeepney drivers will not lose their livelihood.

"Ang tanong po, handa na po ba talaga ang ating transport groups? (The question is, are our transport groups ready for the modernization?) .Katunayan po, ang nakalagay dito dapat sila ay in-organize na ng cooperative, magkaroon ng cooperative sa transport. Ang tanong, nagawa po ba yan? E sa amin pong hearing na ginawa ng ating Ginang Senator Imee Marcos, wala pa pong nagagawa ang pag-oorganisa ng transport group para magkaroon ng cooperative. Kaya tama lang po ang sinasabi ng ating mahal na Ginang Senaton Grace Poe na ipagpaliban muna ito. (Under the program, the drivers should be organized into cooperatives. But in our recent hearing chaired by Sen. Imee Marcos, the organizing into cooperatives has yet to happen. So Sen. Poe is right that the implementation of the modernization should be delayed)," he said..

Also, Padilla called on the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to help the drivers organize into cooperatives so they could acquire the new environment-friendly jeepneys.\q

But he stressed jeepney drivers' health must also be a major factor, noting this is the reason for his decision to make a commercial on the jeepney modernization program.

"Kaya sana po sa pamamagitan ng panukalang ito ay makatok po natin ang CDA, Cooperative Development natin sa Pilipinas, para sila po ay umaksyon na at ma-organize na po ang ating mga jeepney driver (I hope we can call on the CDA to act and organize our jeepney drivers)," he said.

In his commercial on the jeepney modernization program, Padilla said the environment-friendly new jeepneys are needed on our roads - but not at the expense of jeepney drivers' livelihood.

"Dapat gawin muna po ng ahensya ng gobyerno ang pag-o-organize ng jeepney driver para sila magkaroon ng pagkakataon na makabili, na magkaroon nitong moderanized jeep. Dahil hanggang wala po talaga ang kooperatiba mananatiling pangarap itong tinatawag nating modernisasyon (Government agencies should organize jeepney drivers and empower them to buy the new modernized jeeps. So long as they are not organized into cooperatives, the jeepney modernization program will remain a dream)," he said.