By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
Local transport groups in Iloilo are divided over the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) recent statement allowing unconsolidated jeepney units to resume operations under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Elmer Forro, lead convenor of the Panay-Negros United Transport Coalition, welcomed DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon’s verbal assurance but emphasized the need for a written policy.
Forro said many jeepney drivers shifted to other jobs in food service, construction, and other labor sectors due to the challenges of the modernization program.
“We declare victory because of the continued unity of unconsolidated drivers and operators,” Forro told Bombo Radyo Iloilo on Wednesday, April 9.
He said protests will continue until a formal policy is issued by the DOTr.
“We call on transport cooperatives to respect members who want to leave because they can no longer tolerate corruption and exploitation,” he added.
Forro also urged Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to suspend the city’s Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) and asked Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. not to implement the province’s version of the plan.
Jeepney operator Concepcion Antenor echoed frustrations with cooperative management and transparency.
She said the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) excluded her group from the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) despite their unit being registered under it.
“We couldn’t find the transparency we were looking for, so we withdrew,” Antenor said.
She added that their group filed a case with the CDA but was not invited to the investigation or allowed to access financial records.
“Our OR/CR and Pantawid Pasada card are still under WVTC’s name,” she said.
Antenor said they continue to fight for their right to operate, even without a current franchise, on the advice of their legal counsel.
WVTC president Raymundo Parcon criticized the DOTr’s move, saying it was unfair to consolidated operators who invested heavily in compliance with the PUVMP.
“Eighty percent joined the program, and only 20 percent did not,” Parcon told Aksyon Radyo Iloilo on Tuesday, April 8.
“We borrowed PHP200 million for 95 units. How will we recover that?” he added.
Parcon said modernized jeepney operators felt betrayed by the government’s sudden change in direction.
“We made sacrifices and took out loans, and now the government might pull back on its program?” he said.
He warned that allowing unconsolidated jeepneys to return could cause route congestion and conflicts with modernized units.
“If unconsolidated jeeps are allowed, we won’t follow the LPTRP, which was designed for modern units,” he said.
Parcon added that mixing traditional and modern jeepneys on old routes could result in chaos and potential conflicts.
“Even we drivers know that this will create disorder,” he said.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon told protesting jeepney drivers and operators in Quezon City on Monday, April 7, that the agency was working on a policy to allow unconsolidated units to operate again, with an official announcement expected after Holy Week.
