Hindi Pepreno Ngayong Trenta’y Uno (Save the Jeepney)

[ENGLISH] [FILIPINO]

Solidarity Statement and Art Exhibition

In response to the December 31, 2023 deadline for the removal of unconsolidated franchises of Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) and Utility Vehicle (UV) Express units, we formed an Ad Hoc Coalition of Filipino Creatives to unite our communities across the Philippines and the diaspora in upholding mobility and climate justice in our beloved home. Drawing together writers, artists, designers, photographers, technologists and other Filipino Creatives, the alliance hopes to provide an ongoing campaign to help ensure a just, equitable and community-led transportation system development program. We begin by organizing this petition signing campaign and online exhibition. 

Petition and Statement of Solidarity

Sign the petition and solidarity statement here. 

Dear President Marcos Jr.:

We are now on the verge of the December 31, 2023, deadline for the removal of unconsolidated franchises of Public Utility Jeepneys (PUJs) and Utility Vehicle (UV) Express units as part of the now six-year-old Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

Yet despite years of anticipation of this moment, the PUVMP fell far short of both the government’s and the peoples’ hopes. It missed the chance to formulate effective solutions via the lack of ample consultation of both industry experts and affected parties. Ideally, the PUVMP’s aspirations should be achieved via a grassroots-led transition that is just and equitable, grounded on infrastructure and systems that are co-developed with impacted communities. Yes, we need to respond to the global climate crisis, but any solutions to the climate problem should also be multi-sectoral and holistic, where everyone – especially the most vulnerable populations – is engaged and consulted.

We, Filipino Creatives, express our solidarity with transport groups, operators, commuters, and all advocates for mobility and climate justice in the nationwide call for the Executive Department to reconsider the December 31 deadline for Franchise Consolidation and to reassess the PUVMP in collaboration with jeepney and UV Express drivers and operators. Rushing the implementation of the program in its current state without proper preparation will heavily impact the fate of numerous drivers, operators, and their families, as well as that of the countless commuters the industry serves. And, as the highest elected official of the country, their welfare rests upon your decision at this critical juncture.

We therefore implore that, as the highest elected official of the country, your office must issue an Executive Order to revoke the December 31 deadline for Franchise Consolidation of jeepneys, and give further time and support for jeepney drivers and operators to be able to comply.

In 2017, the government initiated the PUVMP through the issuance of Department Order No. 2017-11 by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), commonly known as the Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issuance, or the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG). The modernization program aims to:

1. Address the environmental impact stemming from the pollution generated by traditional PUVs;
2. Enhance the commuting experience by offering a more comfortable and dignified mode of transportation; and,
3. Elevate the livelihood and well-being of transportation workers.

The program, however, has significant shortcomings:

The PUVMP falls short as a genuine solution to the climate crisis. While we recognize that the PUVMP has good intentions with respect to environmental protection, particularly in addressing the problem of urban air pollution and carbon emissions due to the burning of petrol, it misses the mark on the actual impact of the public transport sector to the environment – PUVs makeup only 2% of the total vehicle volume in the country, while privately-owned vehicles constitute the remaining 98%. Addressing pollution requires a comprehensive approach that includes revisiting car-centric policies and infrastructure. We even dare to argue that promoting the development of the public transport sector will ultimately be more beneficial to the environment, as private vehicle owners will no longer need to use their cars just to be able to arrive at their destinations on time.

The program forces transport workers into deep debt. Jeepney operators participating in the PUVMP must not only retire their traditional gas-fed vehicles, but also must acquire new modernized jeepneys, each costing between P2.5 to P5.0 million, so that they can continue to be of honest service to the Filipino commuter. Additionally, they are going to be burdened with the need to form cooperatives/corporations, procure their own terminals and motor pools, and account for other associated costs of complying with modernization. Without an effective and equitable loan program for the underprivileged operators, the PUVMP will push ordinary transport workers into further debt – facilitating takeover of the system by large corporations and individuals geared not at providing genuine public service but at profiting from the situation. Since 2017, only 9,813 units of modernized jeeps have been deployed, a mere 3.27% of the 300,000 jeepneys nationwide pre-pandemic.

The weight of the PUVMP’s modernization expenses falls disproportionately on the shoulders of commuters. The substantial financial investment required from jeepney drivers and operators is likely to result in fare hikes, estimated at a minimum of P40.00 to P50.00, adjusted for current inflation, to recoup their expenses. Such large increases in expenditures will directly affect the ordinary commuter, but in the long term, it can also affect the prices of local commodities that are reliant on public transportation for logistics.

Echoing Makò Micro-Press: “How can we reclaim and revalue the narratives of progress, growth and development with climate, labor and mobility justice as their foundations?”

As the highest elected official, we implore you to issue an Executive Order rescinding the Franchise Consolidation deadline for jeepneys. The livelihoods of drivers, operators, and their families hinge on this decision, necessitating a collaborative reassessment of the PUVMP to ensure an equitable, community-led transition and address the pressing needs of our most vulnerable citizens.

With care and burning passion,  

Ad Hoc Coalition of Filipino Creatives to Save The Jeepney

Signed: 

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