In the Philippine history, jeepneys are from the military jeeps of the Americans that they had left after the world war. Because of Filipinos innovativeness and creativity, they started adding metal roofs for shade and painting them with vibrant colors. They even changed the seat to parallel benches and as years passed by, the size and capacity of jeepneys also increased. It is even one of the most well-known symbol of the country or the identity of our culture.

Jeepneys have been the most used mode of transportation in the Philippines. As a Filipino, these are already parts of our lives. In every province, every town, and every street you can see a jeepney passing by. If you are a commuter jeepney is really important to you. The transportation fee is very cheap compared to buses or even tricycles.

But the Duterte administration is planning to abolish the vehicles that were hailed as the "king of the roads". Issues especially when it comes to the environment are one of their main reasons why they felt the need to phase out these jeepneys. The government wants to improve this jeepneys to a more comfortable one and has an engine that is environmental friendly.

How will this phase out or program will affect a normal commuter and the jeepney drivers?

This proposed phase out by the government seemed to be divisive. It does not listen to both sides especially to the people who will be affected. The drivers of the current jeepneys are protesting about the modern jeeps that the government proposed. Yes, it has more features than the current jeepneys but we cannot ignore the fact that it is costly. It is priced at Php 1.4 million and is equivalent to those expensive and branded cars like Montero and Innova. How can a driver afford to buy a million peso jeep? They regularly have a take home pay of 100 to 500 pesos a day. Even if the government provides Php 80,000 subsidy and it will be paid for 7 years still, where will they get Php 19,000 every month with just a little amount of money they earn every day?  How much money will be left for them when they still have a family to feed and to take care of?

The modern jeepneys have a different style than the current one. It is spacious and some even has an air-conditioning system to ensure the comfort of the passengers. But as expected with this comfortable and modern jeepney, the transportation fee will also increase. With the current increase on prices and in the inflation rate, are the passengers ready for this especially when it is already strictly implemented? The minimum fare which is Php 10 will not be enough for a regular jeepney driver to cover up the pricey monthly installment of the current jeep. This would be a great effect to the public especially to the commuters.

Is there an alternative solution to this expensive modernization?

Jeepney modernization is not a solution but changing the engines of the jeepneys is. One of the concerns that the phaseout wants to address is the air pollution. The old diesel engine is said to be harmful to our environment because of its emission of harmful chemicals so, jeepney operators and drivers have found out a solution to stop this and to also stop the phaseout. Changing the old diesel engines to Euro 4 engines will limit the amount of harmful chemical which can address the concern that the phaseout wants to deliver. The Euro 4 has a catalytic converter that is able to filter out atmospheric contaminants like sulfur and carbon monoxide more effectively. Since it is newer, it also performs better and lasts longer than the old model. It is also more affordable than the 1.4 million peso new jeepney that the government proposed because it only costs 250,000 up to 300,000 pesos.

You vote will surely make a huge effect to all the Filipino people especially our dear jeepney drivers. So help us in promoting this petition and our group wish a victory so that the government can act and try to the said alternative solution.

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