One story that didn’t make it to OpinYon Laguna’s cover story for last week about the PUV modernization concerns how ordinary people can be duped by fake news on social media.
One of our staff who interviewed jeepney drivers who will be affected by the end of the “grace period” extended by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on January 31 uncovered that many of them supported President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. due to alleged promises made by him during the 2022 elections.
“Ayun nga si Bongbong nga, akala namin magiging maayos, ininterview siya sabi kumbaga irehab na lang, kaya mga driver sumang-ayon din,” one driver told our reporter.
As it turned out (based on checking by our staff, as well as by the fact-checking group Vera Files), Marcos, Jr. never really made that promise, and the events of recent months have shown how wrong that assumption was.
“May sinabi raw si Marcos na di aalisin ang mga tradisyunal na jeep, bakit ngayon na gobyerno na siya tatanggalin na, pinaikot niya lang kami! Sayang ang boto,” another driver was quoted as saying.
Just goes to show the alarming effectiveness of fake news to sway public opinion, especially on the critical issue of who we choose as our public servants.
-o0o-
On a separate note, I cannot help but think that the government’s approach to the consolidation of franchises has only helped to fan the flames of discontent among drivers and operators.
As our cover story last week disclosed, there are more than a thousand “unconsolidated” franchises of traditional jeepneys here in Laguna province that will be considered as “colorum” after January 31.
In my opinion, the best approach to the problem of unconsolidated franchises is for the government to bundle them all together into one big corporation or franchise that will be run by the government itself, Metro Manila Transit Corporation style. (Now, we all know how corruption and mismanagement had ruined the MMTC even before People Power in 1986, but that’s a whole different story.)
Even if this may not sit well with some jeepney operators and drivers, there’s this guarantee that they can continue plying their routes, that their commuters can still be served, and that the government can push through its plans for PUV modernization without these drivers having to go into debt.
Instead, the government disenfranchised the unconsolidated franchises, most – if not all – owned by ordinary drivers and operators who are still struggling to get back on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them off the streets.
And one government official’s advice to those “unconsolidated” operators, running to the lines of “huwag na kayong bumiyahe” after January 31, sounded – pardon my language here – f***ing inhumane.
Sorry if I had to say this here, but taking away these drivers’ livelihood in the name of “modernization” is tantamount to homicide. To quote a famous movie line, these drivers would’ve probably said to the LTFRB, “Sana pinatay mo na lang kami.”
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