Senator Grace Poe said on Friday, May 17 that concerned agencies must provide alternative livelihood to thousands of jeepney drivers who are now jobless amid the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) rollout.

"The trainings and employment opportunities being touted should be available, accessible and flexible, especially to our older drivers," she said.

"Hindi lang libo-libong jeepney ang nakatambay ngayon sa mga garahe at kalsada, pati na ang mga driver nila na tiyak naghahagilap na ng mapagkakakitaan para may maipakain sa pamilya (Not only thousands of jeepneys are left idly in garages, but also the drivers are left looking for ways to feed their families)," she added.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said they are giving the drivers the option to avail of the livelihood programs intended for those who would be affected by the implementation of the PUVMP.

DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said long before the April 30 deadline that they have already initiated the Tsuper Iskolar and EnTSUPERneur programs, which provide free skills training, skills assessment, and entrepreneurship training as alternative sources of income.

Under the program, beneficiaries are provided scholarship grants and skills training to improve their livelihood in line with the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).

The EnTSUPERneur program, on the other hand, is a partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that aims to provide alternative sources of income to PUV drivers and operators.

According to Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, the strong push for the PUVMP should be matched with greater safety nets for the drivers and operators who became casualties of the program.

"We also call on the LTFRB to address the commuters' complaints about the lack of PUVs in a number of routes since the threat of apprehension on the unconsolidated jeepneys started," she said.

"With the unconsolidated jeepneys in 313 routes in Metro Manila, by no stretch of imagination can we say that we have sufficient PUVs on the road for our commuters," she added.

On May 16, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) started the crackdown on PUV operators and drivers who failed to consolidate into either a corporation or a cooperative as part of the PUV Modernization program.

The consolidation is the first phase of the PUV Modernization.

Based on the initial LTFRB data, there are around 10,000 jeepney operators and drivers who failed to meet the April 30 final deadline for consolidation.