THE leader of modern PUV groups in Cebu said they feel neglected after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not push for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22, 2024.
Marcos did not speak about the jeepney modernization program, for which his government has repeatedly moved the deadline.
“We’re saddened because by not mentioning it, he didn’t give much importance to the PUVMP,” Ellen Maghanoy, chairperson of the Federation of Cebu Transport Cooperatives (FCTC), said in a phone interview on Wednesday, July 24.
FCTC is comprised of 11 member cooperatives that work together to support and implement the PUVMP in Cebu.
The PUVMP, launched by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, aims to replace traditional jeepneys with modern units with at least a Euro 4-compliant engine or an electric engine to reduce pollution.
The program requires the consolidation of PUV franchises, meaning jeepney drivers and operators must operate under a cooperative to obtain approval for their provisional authority (PA) for franchises.
Maghanoy said the Sona was an opportunity for Marcos to push for the PUVMP.
“We were expecting the President to really support us and push for the program. We are disappointed,” Maghanoy said in Cebuano.
The PUVMP was originally targeted for implementation in 2020, but it had been repeatedly delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and protests from several transport groups.
“If you’re serious about something, especially the PUVMP, you’ll push for the program. It should be part of your plan, part of your agenda,” Maghanoy said.
For his part, Greg Perez, leader of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide in Cebu, said Marcos’ exclusion of PUVMP in his Sona speech could be that “the transportation problem in the country is not a top priority of the administration.”
The original deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicles was set for June 30, 2023; however, this was first extended to Dec. 31 due to pressures from transport groups and operators who were struggling to comply with the program’s requirements.
Marcos announced on Jan. 24, 2024, the approval of the additional three-month extension, pushing the new deadline to April 30 to accommodate those who had expressed an intention to consolidate but had not met the previous deadline.
The President later said there would be no more extensions beyond April 30.
By consolidating, PUV operators are required to join transportation cooperatives or corporations. These cooperatives have two to three years to replace their vehicles with modern units. They will receive a government subsidy of between P200,000 and P300,000 per vehicle and access to bank financing.
Traditional jeepneys of operators and drivers who have not joined cooperatives will be classified as colorum or illegally operating starting May 1, and the government will seize those plying the streets and apprehend their drivers.
However, the government has yet to begin apprehending colorum jeepneys.
As of June 6, out of 8,000 modern and traditional jeepneys consolidated under the PUVMP in Central Visayas, 3,600 are consolidated traditional vehicles and 1,400 are modern vehicles, according to Eduardo Montealto Jr., director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board 7. / CDF