CARAVAN FOR SOLUTION. Units of a modern jeepney corporation join the caravan calling for a solution, not the suspension of the implementation of the Public Transport Modernization Program pushed in the Senate on Monday afternoon (Aug. 5, 2024). The Bacolod Modernized Jeepney Transport Association comprised 11 corporations and cooperatives operating 579 modernized units on 21 routes. (Photo courtesy of AXPD Lines Corporation)
BACOLOD CITY – Instead of the suspension of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) being pushed in the Senate, the Bacolod Modernized Jeepney Transport Association (BMJTA) is joining the call for solution during a caravan that converged at the Bacolod City Government Center Monday afternoon.
Lawyer Romeo Justiniani, president of BMJTA, said that Bacolod City should not be included in the proposed suspension because it has a different situation compared to other areas in terms of modern jeepney operations.
“More than 50 percent of the number of authorized units are already out in the streets of Bacolod City. Unlike in Metro Manila, which has not deployed modern units. It should be on a case-to-case basis. We have a different situation here,” he said in a media interview.
The BMJTA is composed of 11 corporations and cooperatives operating 579 modernized units on 21 routes.
During the caravan, modern jeepneys bear posters that read: “We support Public Transport Modernization Program. Solusyon, Hindi Suspensyon.”
In a statement, the BMJTA said that by joining the caravan, they want to “show our force to the Senate, to the 22 senators who signed for the suspension of the program that a much-needed solution is needed rather than suspending (its implementation).”
They pointed out that they fulfilled the “very hard” requirements mandated by the government under the PTMP.
The BMJTA said that while they understand that other operators failed to consolidate and are said to have been forced out of their livelihood despite the series of extensions, there has to be consideration for drivers and operators under their association who adhered to the program implementation.
“We welcome a clean and peaceful transition, but enforcement of the most basic rules and minimum regulatory requirements should not be compromised while this thing is being sorted out in the Senate,” they added. (PNA)
