SEN. Grace Poe yesterday criticized the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for what she believed are its failure to properly prepare for the full implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, and for touting “box-like” jeepneys that it calls “modern.”
Senator Poe is the chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services.
She said the department is “incompetent” for not being prepared to fully implement the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program because there are still lots of concerns left unanswered.
Poe said the P210,000 subsidy to be given by the government to the drivers is small since imported modern jeepneys cost more than P2 million each.
She said if the government cannot afford to increase its subsidy, it can tap the Landbank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines to lend jeepney drivers’ money to buy modern jeepneys at a very low-interest rate of one percent.
She said jeepney drivers should have the option to buy modern jeepneys that are produced by local manufacturers like Sarao Motors and Francisco Motors that cost less than P1 million each.
“Why was there no Department Order encouraging them to buy from local manufacturers which cost less than P1 million? The government should also increase its subsidy so that the jeepney drivers can afford modern jeepneys. That’s only the few concerns which we want the DOTr to answer,” she added.
Jeepneys look like boxes
She said the government should have not picked the design of the modern jeepney now plying some streets of Metro Manila that she said looks like a “box.”
Poe said the government should have commissioned a group of local artists to design modern jeepneys based on the traditional jeepneys, which she said have become an iconic symbol of the Philippines.
“They (modern jeepneys) look bad. It looks like a box or some sort of thing. It looks bad because it has no character, it lacks the spirit. If they tell us that it is PWD-friendly, well, we can come up with another design that will serve the same purpose. Let us allow the same design of the traditional jeepneys as long as they comply with the safety requirements. If they really want to have cultural development, we can get local artists to do that,” she said.
Senator Poe slams DOTr, hits box-like modern jeepneys
Poe said the DOTr has no data on the impact of the PUVMP on jeepney drivers and operators after the agency concluded the first phase of the implementation of the program – the consolidation of operators and drivers either into a cooperative or corporation.
Poe, who chairs the Committee on Public Services, clarified that she is not against the modernization program but said the DOTr should have addressed the concerns of the drivers and operators before implementing the program.
Who will lose jobs?
“So, after the (April 30) deadline, what are the routes covered by the program? Who will lose their jobs? They said that 80 percent of the provinces and 60 percent in the National Capital Region (have consolidated), but 40 percent will lose their jobs in Metro Manila and 20 percent nationwide. What will the government do to help them? Is there a right process or standard in running a cooperative so that those who joined will not be duped?” Poe said.
“It is not corruption, but incompetence, because they cannot properly implement the modernization program. The intention is not bad, but its implementation is,” she added.
Poe earlier said she asked the DOTr to submit to her office comprehensive data on the status and revised timeline of the PUVMP and its components, updated statistics on consolidation of jeepneys, and the number of routes being serviced, affected routes and contingency plans so as not to impact commuters adversely.
Poe also asked the DOTr to submit a report on the fund utilization of past training programs for drivers amid reports that millions of pesos intended for it were not used.
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