PUBLIC utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers and operators in Davao City, comprising about 6,500 units, will not be impacted by the consolidation of the nationwide Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), an official from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said.
Engr. Ronnel Panigon, spokesperson and modernization head of LTFRB, in a radio interview on Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Wednesday morning, January 17, 2024, said that Davao City has its program, the Davao Public Transport Modernization Program (DPTMP), making them exempt from the December 31 deadline associated with the national modernization initiative.
“Kung mapansin nimo in Davao City dili kaayo apektado its because walay labot atoang gina implement nga December 31 nga deadline (If you notice, here in Davao City, they are not significantly affected because they are not subject to the December 31 deadline we are implementing),” he said.
Panigon clarified that there are two modernization programs in effect: the DPTMP within Davao City and the PUVMP outside the city.
Operations of jeepneys within the city will continue under provisional authority until the DPTMP is operational.
For areas outside Davao City, the LTFRB is implementing the PUVMP, covering approximately 86 percent of PUJs in the region.
He noted that a small number of PUJs, around 100 units, did not consolidate and are not operational.
“We found out that the more than 100 units, upon checking sa records wala sila nagpa [they did not] confirm, meaning dili sila [they are not] operational,” he said.
Consolidation, Panigon emphasized, is crucial for organizing the transport industry and preventing competition among individual operators. The goal is to have two cooperatives on one route, facilitating LTFRB regulation.
Looking ahead, the LTFRB plans to open more routes through the Local Public Transport Route Plan. Once a new route is approved, cooperatives will take charge, as the LTFRB will no longer accept individual operators. (RGP)
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