Sans reliable railway system, defer jeepney phaseout, says JV Ejercito
March 01, 2023
With the construction of the country’s major
railway systems still ongoing, Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito urged the
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to postpone its
proposed phaseout of traditional jeepneys on June 30.
Ejercito said jeepneys should be allowed to
continue their operations for the meantime since the country’s current mass
transit system cannot accommodate the overwhelming number of commuters in major
urban centers.
“This is not the right time to rush the
modernization program because there are still a lot of problems. There’s still
a long way to go before the jeepney modernization can be realized. At this time
also, there’s the ongoing construction of the North-South Commuter Line and
other railway projects, such as the MRT and PNR,” he said.
“As we await the completion of the major mass
transit and railway projects, our jeepneys have to continue their operations,”
he added.
In line with the resumption of the Public
Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, the LTFRB recently issued Memorandum
Circular No. 2023-013, requiring individual jeepney operators to join an
existing consolidated entity by June 30.
Failure to comply with this directive will
result in the revocation of one’s certificate of public convenience, an
authorization issued to public services that are not required by law to secure
a franchise.
Meanwhile, individual operators who are able
to join cooperatives or corporations within the said deadline will be allowed
to continue their operations via provisional authority until December.
The order has drawn flak from various
transportation groups across the country. In response to the directive, a
weeklong national transport strike involving around 40,000 jeepney drivers is
set to take place next week.
Ejercito backed Proposed Senate Resolution No.
507, filed by Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public
Services, in urging the LFTRB to postpone its proposed jeepney phaseout and
resolve the urgent concerns of jeepney drivers to be affected by the program.
“We have to listen to the plight of our
jeepney drivers,” he said.
