SINCE the start of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, the government has been pushing for the modernization of the public transport in the country, not only in Metro Manila but also in other areas as well.
Two years in, the progress of the program has been slow as the formidable public transport sector was able to somehow delay it.
In what looks like a desperate move, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Assistant Secretary Mark de Leon recently announced that the agency is targeting to implement the total phase-out of jeepneys by mid-2020, as part of the government's effort to push for the public utility vehicle’s (PUV’s) modernization program.
To do this, jeepney owners would be compelled to sell their old vehicles to state-accredited scrapping firms.
"Ang problema, (The problem is) the jeepneys dominate the public transportation of our country. Seventy percent of our public transportations are being run by jeepneys, and yet, hindi sila nagmo-modernization (they are not modernizing the units)," De Leon said.
He said the government would distribute P80,000 worth of subsidy to jeepney owners to modernize their units.
"Bibigyan kayo ng P80,000 ng gobyerno, subsidy, tapos papatakbuhin mo pa rin yung lumang unit? Binigyan ka na nga ng bagong unit ng gobyerno, you’re running the old unit. Kailangan natin tanggalin sa kalsada," he added.
The government has been campaigning the use of modernized jeepneys and we have seen exhibits showcasing the prototype units of these, which are like mini-buses. But while it gained the attention of the public, it seems like the public transport sector is not giving it the attention it needs.
While the riding public suffers in the hot and cramped jeepneys -- some being robbed and groped inside -- the public transport sector seems not to care about their welfare or their comfort.
The current state of our public transport is not something that we can take pride on.
For the benefit of the riding public, the public transport sector's client, public utility vehicle owners must modernize their vehicles. With the current progress of many areas in the country, the demands of their clients will also increase; hence, the need to modernize.
With a modernized public transport sector, our riding public would feel safer and comfortable.