The Supreme Court (SC) was asked on Monday, Jan. 15, to deny the petition that sought to stop the government from implementing the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
In a petition for intervention, several transport groups also asked the SC to deny the plea for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would stop PUVMP’s implementation that was moved from Jan. 1, 2024 to Feb. 1, 2024.
The new petition was filed by Pasang Masda led by Obet Martin along with co-petitioners -- the Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators or ACTO, Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP) and Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines
“Basically, we are opposing their petition for a TRO (temporary restraining order),” Martin told reporters.
Martin said his groups are pushing for the implementation of PUVMP for the country to catch up with its Asian counterparts in the modernization of the transport sector.
The new petition runs counter to the earlier case filed by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON), a representative of a commuters’ group, and several individuals. PISTON is a group of jeepney drivers and operators.
PISTON’s petition claimed that the issuances issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) violate the constitutional provisions that guarantee freedom of association, right to due process, right to equal protection of laws, right against unreasonable seizures, and the right to gainful employment and livelihood.
It also alleged that the orders and circular are overly broad and infringe the constitutional freedom of association as these issuances force the drivers and operators to join an organization or cooperative.
In the new petition, Martin and his group debunked the first petition’s claim about a looming transport crisis once the PUV phaseout is fully implemented.
“I’ve been in the transport sector for five year and I don’t believe that there will be a transport crisis starting February 1. Instead, our income will likely improve along with the traffic flow. That supposed transport crisis, it will not happen,” Martin pointed out.
It is expected that the new petition will be consolidated with the first case where the SC has required comments from the DOTr and the LTFRB on both the plea for TRO and on the petition itself.
If was not known immediately if the two transport agencies have filed their comments.