ANAKPAWIS Party-list has recently decried the plan of the national government of phasing out the lowly jeepney, the most popular form of public transport in the country since the Second World War.
The jeepney which evolved through the years, were born out of American military vehicles manufactured for “General Purposes” or “GP”, thus the work jeep was added into the dictionary, coined after the said initials.
After the war, the Americans left the country, leaving their war materials including the said “general purpose” vehicle behind. Since then, the jeep was modified and was converted into a passenger vehicle and renamed “jeepney”.
From then on, the vehicle became the most popular mode of transportation while undergoing evolution from the original six-seater to the thirty-seater one. We can see these type of jeepneys plying along the North Luzon Expressway or those inside the Clark Freeport.
The jeepney, from its simple, plain design became elaborate. There are some that seemed to have the disco sound system inside while there are those equipped with an air-conditioning system. These are the modified types of jeepneys assembled in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga.
By the way, the said town has carved its name in the jeepney making industry through the assembly of the XLTs. In the United States, the XLT means extra light trucks or those what we popularly known as pick-ups nof pick-up trucks.
The jeepneys of today became extra elaborate in their designs. There are still many however that are quite old and somewhat lack the road worthiness as public utility vehicles. These are the targets of the government’s proposal of phasing them out with new and modernized, environment-friendly ones.
On the other hand, there are actually no brand new jeepneys in the market. Most of jeepney parts came from surplus vehicle parts from other countries or are mere re-fabricated vehicles.
Under the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program, jeepney drivers shall be funded with P80,000 for the purchase of a vehicle with an amortization of more or less P800 per day. The program would cost an estimated P417 billion for the next 5 years including the government subsidy for the purchase of vehicles.
With the proposal, drivers will be under the somewhat like rent-to-own scheme or soft loan package in having their vehicles modernized. It may seem an ambitious plan but it will redound to the benefit of the commuting public and the environment since the vehicles that would be purchased are new and are environment-friendly.
On the side of the drivers however, the proposal if implemented, would be a big burden for them considering the cost of the amortization that they have to shoulder, in addition to the maintenance cost of the vehicles.
A number of transport groups are opposing this plan. While they are for the modernization of the jeepneys, they are against its costs. The price they have to pay however, would be for the good of the public and the country.
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