Transport groups split over modernization
Five big transport groups will press the government on Monday to push through with the long overdue and repeatedly delayed implementation of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), even amid a transport strike that day by groups opposing the program.
Launched in 2017, the PTMP aims to phase out all public utility vehicles (PUVs) considered not roadworthy and replace these with units with at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution and transform public transportation into a “more dignified, humane [system], on par with global standards.”
Members of Pasang Masda, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Altodap), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (Acto), as well as the Busina and Curoda transport service cooperative—which collectively call themselves the “Enormous 5”—will stage their program outside the central office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Quezon City to show their continued support for the PTMP.
According to Pasang Masda president Obet Martin, these groups would call on the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB to heed the call of “the majority” to proceed with the PTMP.
Martin said they would urge Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon “not to suspend, and go with the PTMP” during the DOTr’s scheduled meeting with pro-PTMP transport groups on March 27.
“If the PTMP has problems, then the government should just fix them along the way while it is being implemented. There’s no need to suspend it. [The government] should think about the majority of us who already complied with the program,” he pointed out.
The five pro-PTMP groups will ask Dizon not to be swayed by “some groups who are riding on the issue for their selfish and political interests.”
“The PTMP has good intentions to make our public transport safe, orderly and humane. This must continue without any political influence. It is time to prioritize the welfare of passengers and the livelihood of drivers, not the personal interests of a few. We know that this is also the vision of Secretary Dizon,” they said.
Martin earlier explained that pro-PTMP transport groups had already invested a lot under the program, with many of them having borrowed money to buy modernized units.
Preparations for strike
Despite calls from Dizon to sit down with his new administration, transport group Manibela will proceed with its planned four-day strike beginning Monday and continuing from last Friday to protest what it claimed were the “continuous lies” peddled by the government on the true situation of the PTMP.
Some schools in Metro Manila, as well as in the nearby provinces of Cavite and Bulacan, suspended face-to-face classes from Monday to Wednesday to shift to an online mode of learning during the strike.
Dizon has ordered the deployment of additional buses and trains, Communications Undersecretary and Malacañang press officer Claire Castro said on Sunday.
The government will also deploy additional buses for the Edsa busway and additional trains for the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and Metro Rail Transit Line 3.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will provide free rides in affected areas.
Martin called Manibela’s “never-ending” transport strike “ill-timed and a disservice to the Filipino people who are all trying to be productive members of the society.”
He said Manibela should first sit down with the DOTr to get their issues heard again by Dizon, whom President Marcos appointed last February.
Manibela president and senatorial candidate Mar Valbuena had accused the government of coming up with inaccurate consolidation figures for the PTMP.
In December, the LTFRB said 86 percent of all PUVs had joined the program, noting that 164,137 out of 191,730 vehicles became part of transport cooperatives or corporations.
But Valbuena claimed that Dizon himself admitted that only 43 percent had completed the consolidation component of the PTMP, while the other half still need to have their consolidation applications approved.
PUVs which failed to consolidate within the Nov. 29, 2024, deadline are considered “colorum,” with the LTFRB stripping them of their provisional authority to ferry passengers.
Decision in two weeks
While he respects Manibela’s decision, Piston president Mody Floranda said they would not be joining the transport strike as they await the resolution of Dizon’s dialogue with both anti- and pro-PTMP stakeholders.
During its meeting with Dizon on Friday, Piston raised its request for the government to suspend the route rationalization component of the PTMP, and for traditional jeepneys to be allowed again to be given their five-year franchise, instead of the provisional authority of one year to renew with the LTFRB.
Floranda warned that failure to reach a favorable decision within the given time frame could lead to further protests and bigger transport strikes.
Dizon is expected to decide in two weeks on the fate of the PTMP, following his dialogue with Piston on Friday.
According to LTFRB spokesperson Ariel Inton, Dizon would also need to hear the pro-PTMP stakeholders as “a matter of fairness.”
In a phone interview with the Inquirer on Sunday, Martin said Dizon would want to hear “the true situation” of the PTMP from the perspective of operators whose fleets are already consolidated.
“Our appeal is for our fellow citizens who are already struggling with their daily commute, we hope there will be no more transport strikes. Instead, we urge [all stakeholders] to engage in dialogue first so that the new leadership at the DOTr can understand their concerns,” Dizon was quoted as saying.
