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| File photo by JGPacio |
by: Jerome Paunan
MANILA, (PIA) -- The
Department of Transportation (DOTr), through the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory Board - National Capital Region (LTFRB-NCR) on
Tuesday is defending its stance that there are "enough" active public
utility vehicles (PUVs) in Metro Manila to serve commuters without causing
significant wait times, especially during rush hour.
During the second episode
of the weekly "Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas" press conference,
LTFRB-NCR Regional Director Atty. Zona Russet M. Tamayo said that a 61-percent
consolidation rate of PUVs in the capital region is "enough to fill our
demand rate" based on monitoring in early May.
"Just to give data,
we have consolidated as of April 30, which was the deadline, at 61 percent of
all units in NCR," she said.
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| The second leg of the 'Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas' hosted by the DOTr. (Photo by AArroyo/PIA-NCR) |
Tamayo
said that during the first week of May, they had an inter-agency collaboration,
where the local government units were included to monitor the grounds and
determine those who were stranded, if the 61-percent consolidation was enough.
"Based
on our observation at least for that period, during the first week of May, we
saw more or less, only four small and short routes experienced stranded
commuters," she said.
"But
this happened during rush hour. So [it was an] expected [scenario]," she
added.
"No
one (LGU) reported to us any lack of transportation," she further said.
Pronouncements
made by Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista on Monday, June 3, said that
there are currently enough consolidated PUVs serving the capital region.
The
DOTr's stance aligns with the LTFRB's previous assertions that Metro Manila has
an oversupply of jeepneys, necessitating trimming numbers for the modernization
program's success. The LTFRB cited a 2016 Japan International Cooperation
Agency study to support this claim.
As
of April 30, the deadline for consolidation, 61 percent of PUV units in Metro
Manila had joined cooperatives or corporations under the Public Utility Vehicle
Modernization Program (PUVMP)'s requirements.
Meanwhile,
a 60 percent consolidation rate could potentially lead to over 19,000 jeepneys
losing the right to operate based on available data, raising concerns over
transportation access.
The
LTFRB downplayed these fears, however, stating that remaining jeepneys, along
with other transport modes like buses and trains, would be more than enough for
commuters.
Since short routes without consolidated jeepneys could also be serviced by
overlapping routes.
Operators
of PUVs that failed to consolidate face penalties such as impounding of
vehicles, suspension of driver's licenses, and fines up to P50,000 for
operating as "colorum" or illegal transport services.
The
PUVMP aims to transform the road sector of public transport through the
introduction of safer and climate-friendly vehicles, improved regulation, and
industry consolidation.
The
program also aims to improve the urban quality of life, reduce economic losses
due to time lost in travel, reduce health costs and premature deaths, reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the economic situation of the
operators and industry by improving service quality levels.
The
DOTr and LTFRB remain firm that their calculations deem the current PUV
situation in Metro Manila as adequate, despite concerns from commuter groups
over potential service gaps from the modernization program's implementation.
The
Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press conference is organized by the Presidential
Communications Office and the Philippine Information Agency-National Capital
Region. (PIA-NCR)
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