BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and RAYMOND AFRICA
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday rejected a Senate proposal to suspend the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), saying everyone should listen to the majority.
The President, in an interview on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Project-Stage 1 (IDRR-CCA 1) in Pampanga, said at least 80 percent of public utility vehicle operators and drivers have consolidated and supported the program.
Marcos also stressed the program had been suspended seven times.
In response, Senate President Francis Escudero said the Senate resolution calling for the temporary suspension of the program applies only to those who have not yet consolidated.
“Those that have been objecting or been crying out and asking for suspension are in the minority. Eighty percent have already consolidated,” Marcos said.
“How would that work? The 20 percent will decide the lives of the 100 percent? Let us listen to the majority and the majority says we should continue it. So, that’s what we will do,” he added.
Twenty-two senators supported Resolution No. 1096 calling for the suspension of the program pending a thorough review and the resolution of valid and urgent concerns raised by affected drivers, groups, unions, and transport cooperatives.
The senators said there are at least 36,217 public utility vehicles that failed to consolidate.
Under the modernization program, PUV operators and drivers must consolidate or form cooperatives to continue plying their routes and avail of government assistance in modernizing their vehicles, among others.
Escudero, explaining the Senate resolution in a press conference, said: “Hindi nila nauunawaan. Hindi naman porke’t nag-consolidate at sumunod na sila ay babawiin iyon.
Ang pagsuspinde ng program ay nag-a-apply doon sa mga hindi pa at pinupuwersa na sumunod habang hindi pa naman handa ang gobyerno dito (They do not understand. It does not mean that the consolidation will be taken back from those who have already complied. The suspension we are asking for applies only to those who have not complied while the government is not yet fully prepared to implement the program).”
He said a glaring proof the government is not prepared was when Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista admitted that out of the department’s budget for the program — P8 billion from 2018 to 2024 — only half has been spent.
“He [Bautista] admitted that they have only spent 50 percent of the budget for the program. Where is the complete project if in a span of 6 years, they have spent only half of the budget?” he added.
He said Bautista also said the local transport plan for the PTMP is only 71 percent complete.
Escudero added that local government units were not guided by the DOTr in crafting the local transport plan, adding he experienced this when he was the governor of Sorsogon.
He said a local transport plan needs to be approved by the government before it can be implemented.
“Kaya sa totoo lang, 71 percent na ng LGUs na nag-submit na daw. Hindi ko alam ang hugis at hitsura niyan. At bakit walang binanggit ni isa man lang na naaprubahan ang DOTr makalipas ng kung ilang taon na ang programang ito ay tumatakbo na? (I have no idea what the local transport plan’s shape and form are even when he said that 71 percent of LGUs have already submitted their plans. And why has the DOTr not made any announcement that it has approved them in the many years that the program has been running)?” he said.
He said the P2.3 billion that the DOTr supposedly lent to drivers and operators to purchase modern jeepneys is not enough, explaining that he learned from past Senate inquiries that around P42 billion is needed by the government for drivers and operators to buy modern jeepneys.
Escudero said “there must be a reason” why the implementation of the PTMP has been postponed at least seven times because “probably, even during those times, DOTr itself was not ready.”
As far as he is concerned, the DOTr would like to implement the PTMP but the department, in reality, cannot do it.
“‘Yung kahilingang i-postpone ay para balik-tanawan lamang nila ang proseso at kung kailan ba talaga ito maipatutupad sa pangkalahatan. Doon sa mga sumunod na, hindi binabawi ng Senado ‘yan. Wala iyan sa intention ng Senado at wala ring intensiyon ang Senado na pigilan ang program (The temporary suspension we are asking for is for the government to review the process and determine when the program can be implemented in its entirety. For those who have complied, the Senate has no intention of asking the government to take them back. That is not the intention of the Senate and the Senate has no intention of stopping the program),” he said.
