THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is considering another chance for unconsolidated Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) operators to join the jeepney modernization program.
“Unang-una po, pagkatapos po naming pumunta sa Senado, napag-usapan po namin na iyong mga hindi pa ho sumasama sa programa ng gobyerno ay bibigyan ho namin ng pagkakataon – they can join existing cooperatives and corporations,” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said in a media brieding in Malacanang on Monday.
But Guadiz said the chance to join cooperatives and corporations would not allow PUJ drivers and operators to create their own group.
“Pero hindi ho sila puwedeng bumuo ng korporasyon o cooperative. They will just be there to join in fairness naman po doon sa mga nandoon na sa mga rutang iyon at sila na po ang bumabaybay,” he added.
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary Jesus Ferdinand Ortega said consolidation is now at 83 percent. The remaining 17 percent are composed of unconsolidated and unregistered PUJ operators.
Of the 17 percent, only five percent are unconsolidated PUJ operators.
“To clarify, when we talk about percentage, hundred percent supposedly consolidation and then umabot na po tayo ng 83 percent. So, we have 17 percent [unconsolidated.. But iyong numero po na hindi talaga or ayaw mag-consolidate and we are talking of the groups, that’s more or less mga five percent po iyon,” he said.
“Kasi may malaking porsyento po nung ating mga operators po even though they are counted sa number to be consolidate[d], ilang taon na po silang hindi pumapasada. So, in terms of them, pumapasada, 2021, 2022, 2023, marami po hindi na nagre-register sa LTO. So talagang hindi na sila pumapasada. But, if we look at the numbers na natitira na puwedeng mag-consolidate ngunit ayaw, we are looking at five percent,” Ortega explained.
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