BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – Today marks the final deadline for the mandatory consolidation of jeepneys under the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program, a policy that has sparked tension and protest among operators and drivers.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Western Visayas, especially in this city, are on high alert for any unrest as the deadline could see significant pushback from the unconsolidated jeepney operators and drivers.
Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, information officer of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), said the police force is “continuously monitoring the situation” and remains vigilant to ensure public safety during possible rallies. Although previous protests have been peaceful with minimal participation in this city, the PNP is not taking any chances and is prepared for any scenario that might unfold today.
Opposition to the modernization program continues to be vocal. Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay and the No to PUV Phaseout Coalition (NPPC) are leading the protests.
They argue that the modernization program, which requires operators to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations by today, threatens livelihoods, increases fares, and imposes unfair financial burdens on operators and commuters alike.
Failure to consolidate would result to traditional jeepneys becoming franchise-less or colorum, and therefore barred from operating.
Elmer Forro, secretary-general of BAYAN Panay, has criticized the program as “anti-people” and laden with corruption.
According to Forro, the program benefits foreign companies and corrupt leaders within transport cooperatives, at the expense of drivers and the public.
He also accused the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) of red-tagging and threatening those who oppose the modernization program, claiming such actions exacerbate the distress of the affected families.
According to the NPPC, around 17,500 families of drivers and operators will be affected in Western Visayas.
“It is the people that will suffer if the current modernization design pushes through. Drivers will lose their livelihood, jeepney units will be confiscated from the operators. The riding public will suffer from the increase in minimum fare up to P30 to P45 and the entire masses of people to shoulder the inflationary effect of fare hikes,” Forro said.
He added: “These miseries are not felt by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Boad (LTFRBP, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the loan banks, those foreign companies earning hefty sums from their over-valued minibuses and the fake and corrupt transport leaders and managers of cooperatives. They are the ones earning from this anti-people, corrupt-laden, fake and rotten modernization program.”
Meanwhile, BAYAN Panay took to task the ICPO for red-tagging when its spokesperson warned of “communist or rebel front organizations exploiting the drivers’ discontent and seeking to infiltrate transportation collectives by capitalizing on the opposition to the PUV modernization plan.”
“For the ICPO to malign and maliciously discredit the efforts of people’s organizations who are in solidarity with our transport groups is pure and simple lying and threat-mongering and shows its insensitivity and heartlessness to the citizenry it is supposed to protect. Red-tagging is a universally condemned human rights violation, and even more condemnable when the police and the military are the perpetrators,” said BAYAN Panay in a statement./PN
