Makabayan solon renews call to ditch Dec 31 deadline for PUV consolidation

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas (Facebook)

Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas reiterated her call to President Marcos to “set aside if not totally scrap” the Dec. 31 franchise consolidation deadline to avert the threat of a “massive transport crisis”.

“The Dec. 31 deadline for the mandatory franchise consolidation forces over 60,000 jeepney operators to give up their franchises and join just a few transport cooperatives or companies,” Brosas said in a statement on Friday, Dec. 29.

This upcoming deadline is part of the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program.

“Sa gitna ng matinding krisis sa bansa, mawawalan pa ng katiyakan sa trabaho at kabuhayan ang mga jeepney drivers at operators,” the lawmaker stressed.

(Amid a severe crisis in the country, jeepney drivers and operators will lose assurance with their jobs and livelihoods.)

“With significantly fewer PUVs on the roads by January 2024, millions of Filipino commuters will face a severe transport crisis, affecting important parts of the economy,” she added.

Brosas noted that the looming deadline impedes the freedom of association of jeepney drivers and operators, as protected by the 1987 Constitution.

“Drivers and operators are being pressured to join transport cooperatives or companies, disbanding their current jeepney associations and putting their livelihoods at risk,” she said.

“Ginawan nila ng paraan na magkaroon ng jeep para mapakain ang kanilang mga pamilya ng walang tulong mula sa gobyerno. Bago pa ang PUV modernization program, mayroon na silang mga sariling grupo at asosasyon. Ngayon, sa isang iglap, ay tatanggalin ito sa kanila,” she further said.

(They made a way to have a jeep to feed their families without help from the government. Even before the PUV modernization program, they had their own groups and associations. Now, in an instant, it will be taken away from them.)

If the Dec. 31 deadline pushes through, transport group PISTON fears that it could lead to the “phaseout of almost 70,000 PUVs and nearly 200,000 job losses” by the start of 2024.

PISTON stands for Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide.