Pinoy producers ignored? Kabataan solon flags spread of foreign-produced modern PUVs
At A Glance
- Despite the fact that modern jeepneys can be produced locally and cheaply, a staggering amount of modern public utility vehicles (PUVs) were actually manufactured by foreign companies, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel (Rep. Manuel's Facebook)
Despite the fact that modern jeepneys can be produced locally and cheaply, a staggering amount of modern public utility vehicles (PUVs) were actually manufactured by foreign companies, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said.
During the House Committee on Transportation hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 24 about the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP), Manuel raised concern over the supposed misleading figures on the ownership and production of modern jeepneys.
"Bagama't may almost 5,000 PUV units classified as locally manufactured or assembled, marami sa kanilang mother companies ay mula ibang bansa. Kung tutuusin, 93 percent ng lahat ng modern PUV units ang mula sa mga foreign companies,” the Makabayan bloc member said.
(Although there are almost 5,000 PUV units classified as locally manufactured or assembled, many of their mother companies are from other countries. If you think about it, 93 percent of all modern PUV units are from foreign companies.)
Jeepney manufacturers who attended the hearing, namely Sarao and Francisco Motors, explained that modern units can be produced by local companies without strictly relying on imports.
Manuel claimed that these local auto manufacturers had been deliberately ignored to allow foreign players to enter the market.
"Meron palang Filipino companies na kaya namang magproduce nang mas mura. Bakit di sila ang i-prioritize?” the young lawmaker asked.
(There are Filipino companies that can produce cheaper. Why are they not prioritized?)
“Patunay ito na maka-dayuhan at maka-korporasyon ang programa na ito. Dapat ibasura ang ganitong programa ng modernisasyon. Ang nais natin ay makamasang transportasyon na nakabatay sa pambansang industriyalisasyon," he stressed.
(This is proof that this program is pro-foreign and pro-corporation. This modernization program should be scrapped. What we want is pro-people transportation based on national industrialization.)