The Philippine Jeepney or “dyip” holds a deep cultural significance in our country, as it represents the resourcefulness and creativity of the Filipino people. It has been an iconic symbol of our Filipino culture and serves as  our primary means of transportation, especially in urban and rural areas where other modes of public transportation are limited. It is also known for its affordability and accessibility, catering to the needs of  a wide range of commuters, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. However, the jeepney that we are all used to is slowly phasing out as the controversial jeepney phase-out proposal of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) which was first introduced by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, was further implemented and approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in 2022 (The New York Times, 2023).

This “jeepney phase-out” program or known as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) requires jeepney operators to join cooperatives by December 31, 2023 to help them obtain loans and payment plans to buy the “modern jeepneys''. Failure to do so, jeepney operators will stop their operations by the end of the year (PhilStar, 2023). But then, it was clarified by LTFRB  Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III to the senators last March 2, that there is no phaseout of traditional jeepneys even after the new December 31 deadline for them to consolidate their routes and join cooperatives (PhilStar, 2023).

While the PUV Modernization Program aims to bring about positive changes in the public transportation sector, several challenges like financial burden of transitioning to modernized vehicles and potential loss of livelihoods might arise.

That’s why this petition then aims to stand with the:

JEEPNEY DRIVERS AND OPERATORS

TOO EXPENSIVE. The modernization of one jeepney costs about PHP 1 to 3 million. This is far from the price of a traditional jeepney which is about PHP 700,000 and even with the given subsidy of about PHP 160,000 to 360,000 from the government, it is not enough to buy one modernized jeep as reported by GMA News. Which then leads us to:

LOSS OF LIVELIHOOD. LTFRB’s statistics shows that there are about 158,000 traditional jeepneys in the country which probably means that there are about the same number of jeepney drivers. With that many drivers plus their operators, imagine how many families will lose their source of income and further struggle due to this phaseout.

FILIPINOS

PRESERVE CULTURE. As previously mentioned, the traditional jeepney has been one the symbols of our country for the longest time. Changing this only changes the culture and the Filipino view of what a jeepney is.

LACK OF JEEP. With the high cost of modernizing jeeps, there will be a decrease in the number of jeeps. This would only make the already bad transportation system of our country worse.

 

Your SIGN can make a difference in PRESERVING OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE and ENSURING THE LIVELIHOODS OF OUR FILIPINO JEEPNEY DRIVERS. Give your support and share this call for change to your family and friends.

#NoToJeepneyPhaseout   #ForFilipinoJeepneyDrivers

 

Image from: bay.stanford.edu (Gregorio, 2018)