Passenger jeepneys were the Cebuanos’ main mode of transport pre-pandemic. Will the kings of the road be able to return? And how soon? /CDN file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – In his 12 years of driving traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in some of Cebu City’s busiest routes, it never occurred to Ronald Sagario that it will come to a grinding halt.
And when it did, last March 28, 2020, to be precise, Ronald and his wife decided to open a small sari-sari store in their house in Barangay Apas, Cebu City to address the dearth in the family’s income.
“We have to find ways in making sure we can still have meals on the table, otherwise we could have starved to death,” said Ronald in Cebuano.
The lockdown that started last March due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak paralyzed all types of public transportation, but drivers of traditional jeepneys, like Ronald, bore the brunt.
Even if Cebu City has been placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) since September, they were still not allowed to return to the city’s streets.
As a result, the PUJ that he rented from his former employer, which he used to ferry passengers between Barangay Apas and Carbon Public Market (17B route), remained parked and unused in front of their house for around nine months now.
“Driving jeepneys have been our means of livelihood for several years already. I pay P500 to the operator for a half-day use but the profit we earned every day can go beyond the rental fee. It also helped my family build our house here,” Ronald added in Cebuano.
Registration papers of the vehicle said Ronald, also recently expired.
But despite these bleak events in his life, the 39-year-old father of one decided to sign up in the city government’s Balik Pasada Program.
“It’s better to be prepared and in case chances will permit me that I can go back to driving a jeep, at least I am ready,” he said.
Over 1,200 drivers of traditional jeepneys are expected to go back on the streets but before they can do so, the city is requiring them to undergo COVID-19 tests first.
The city’s Jeepney Task Force announced that only those who will test negative for the pooled swab tests, which will be conducted this Monday, November 16, will be allowed to go back in driving jeeps.
READ MORE: Redeployment of Cebu City PUJs may be delayed
The task force targeted to have traditional jeeps back on the streets by November 11 but it was pushed back after the COVID-19 tests for drivers were rescheduled to a later date.
The postponement came after officials from the Department of Health (DOH) told city officials of an existing guideline that real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests should be done for diagnostic purposes only.
As a result, they recommended to the task force to conduct a pooled test or pooling for the drivers instead.
READ MORE: Pooled COVID tests to be conducted for jeepney drivers
Aside from Ronald, Floro Rodrigo, who resides in North Reclamation Area, Barangay Mabolo, is expected to take the test, too, according to his wife, Lisa.
Lisa Rodrigo, in a separate interview, said her husband is looking forward to going back to driving jeeps. She said Floro, 48, has been driving taxis instead of jeeps since April.
The couple has seven children.
Before Floro decided to shift to being a taxi driver, their family had relied on help from the government and their relatives to get by each day.
“But the income he gets from driving jeeps is bigger compared to driving taxis. It’s still a challenge for him to meet boundaries,” said Lisa in Tagalog.
The city government, for its part, assured drivers and operators who signed up to the Balik Pasada Program that they can return to their operations despite the recent delays.
“This delay will just be in a few days. It’s just temporary and we are remedying it,” said Councilor James Anthony Cuenco, head of the city’s Jeepney Task Force.
Cuenco also asked drivers that once they hit the roads again, they need to strictly observe minimum health standards. A small amount to pay, indeed, in exchange for a more steady income for the city’s jeepney drivers.
But until they are truly back on the road and ferrying passengers, it’s still an uncertain wait-and-see game for Ronald and his fellow drivers. /rcg