CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Central Visayas lauded the rejection of the proposal to temporarily suspend the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Eduardo Montealto Jr., the regional director of LTFRB-7, expressed relief with the decision and mentioned that he had already expected the president to reject the proposal.
Montealto pointed out that before the extended April 30 consolidation deadline, the president had previously announced that the modernization would continue, stating, “Wala ng atrasan ito.” (There’s no going back now.)
Montealto noted the potential consequences if the proposal had been approved, saying it could have led to a 100-percent transportation paralysis.
“Actually, mao nay amo gikabalak-an. Nga kana sila ang mo strike or dili mo byahe na kay paralyze gyud, paralyze gyud,” he said.
(Actually, that was what we were worried about. That they would go on strike or won’t operate because it will surely paralyze the transport system.)
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On August 7, Marcos rejected the proposal to halt the PTMP.
Minority
The president asserted that a majority of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators had already complied with the program and were consolidating their franchises under cooperatives or corporations.
“I disagree with them because they said this was rushed. This modernization has been postponed seven times. Those objecting and asking for suspension are in the minority. 80 percent have already consolidated, so how can we let the remaining 20 percent decide the fate of the entire system?” he said.
Meanwhile, the decision was met with overwhelming relief and satisfaction by modern transport groups in Cebu.
Ellen Maghanoy, head of El Pardo Transport Cooperative (El Pardo TC), expressed the collective joy and gratitude of their group.
“Ang grupo malipayon gyud. Dali ra kaayo na spread ang balita. Ang group nalipay unya nakaingon gyud sila nga worth it ang kahago, ang kakapoy nga gihimo sa niaging adlaw,” Maghanoy said.
(The group is really happy. The news spreads fast. The group is happy and they say the effort in the past days was all worth it.)
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22 senators seek suspension of PUV modernization program
Cebu modern jeepney operators to march vs suspend jeep program move
Previously, modern jeepney operators and drivers in Cebu staged a protest rally on August 5.
They opposed Senate Resolution No. 1096, which advocated a temporary PTMP halt.
The protest included a simultaneous march from Fuente Osmeña Rotunda to the LTFRB Central Visayas office, arguing that the resolution was unfair to the 81 percent of operators who had already complied with the modernization efforts.
The operators contended that the 22 senators who signed the resolution seemed to favor the 19 percent who had yet to consolidate, thus undermining the significant progress made by the majority in the transport sector.