THE leader of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) in Cebu expressed his dismay over President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s failure to address the transport sector's ongoing issues.
In an exclusive interview with VoxPop on July 19, Greg Perez said Marcos has offered no solutions to the sector's problems.
Instead, the government remains determined to phase out traditional jeepneys, setting four consolidation deadlines, he said.
"Wala mi nakita nga positibo nga bahin nga nahimo ni Marcos sa transport sector (We have seen no positive actions from Marcos in the transport sector)," Perez said.
"Tungod sa palpak nga programa, mao gihapon 0 ang among grado sa iyaha tungod sa mga kapalpakan nga hisgutanan nga PUVMP nga ilang gina-implement nga wala nakahaom sa aktwal nga sitwasyon karon sa transport," he added.
(Due to the flawed program, our grade for him remains zero because of the PUVMP they are implementing, which is not suited to the current situation in transport.)
He said that until now, the administration has yet to find a solution for the PUV modernization program (PUVMP).
The PUVMP aims to replace the old, dilapidated public utility vehicles with modern, safe, and environmentally friendly ones.
Piston and other transport groups argued, however, that the jeepney phaseout could worsen the situation, particularly by increasing jeepney fares.
On Monday, July 22, during the third State of the Nation Address (Sona) of Marcos, Piston will raise issues about the flawed modernization program and the Oil Deregulation Law, which the administration has yet to address.
"Hangtud karon wala gihapon ginahimo nga lakang ang administrasyon sa sige nga pagsaka sa presyo sa lana sa atong nasod. Bisan sa pag-refill nalang sa oil deregulation law sa Kongreso... Sa paghimo sa pagwagtang sa mga buhis nga naa sa litro sa lana nga among ginademand," said Perez.
(Until now, the administration has taken no action regarding the rising oil prices in our country. Not even a proposal to amend the oil deregulation law in Congress... or to eliminate the taxes on fuel, which we are demanding.)
Perez said that he does not believe that the President has no power to address the current oil crisis, noting that Marcos managed to lower the price of imported rice through an executive order.
Perez believes similar action could be taken with oil prices.
He clarified, though, that Piston is not against the PUV modernization, noting that they have long demanded a mass transportation system that is affordable and accessible in the Philippines.
"Nindot nga termino ang giingong modernisasyon pero ang nahitabo gasalig ta sa mga imported nga product gikan sa langyaw. Wala tay paaboton ana," he said.
(Modernization is a good concept, but what’s happening is we are relying on imported products. We have nothing to expect from that.)
He also said that in the 2023 Sona of Marcos, the President did not address any issues regarding the transport sector. (Marianne Arias, HNU intern)
