• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod Modernized Jeepney Transport Association reiterated its appeal to the city government to strictly enforce the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) on unconsolidated and/or colorum PUVs operating in the highly-urbanized city.
In a letter to Mayor Greg Gasataya, Atty. Romeo Justiniani Jr. of the RSJ Lines, who is also the president of the association, said they are “facing serious and growing challenges due to the continued presence of unconsolidated and unregistered (colorum) jeepney units that continue to freely operate within our designated routes.”
Justiniani said operators of traditional PUJs were given ample opportunity, including multiple extensions, to comply with the PTMP consolidation requirements, adding that while many submitted applications to consolidate, a significant number chose not to.
“Ironically, it is now these very non-compliant operators who are dominating the roads and operating freely, unregulated, uninsured, and often with little regard for safety standards, while modernized groups like ours, who invested in legal, sustainable operations are left to struggle with mounting mortgage payments and declining income,” stressed the letter-appeal also signed by officers of AXPD Lines Corporation, Loverboy Corporation, Choret Corporation, MBMJ and UY Transport Services, Negros East Transport Service Cooperative, Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative Bacolod Satellite Office, Rico Catalogo Lines , Bacolod South Transport Cooperative, and the United Negros Transport Cooperative.
This situation has created a grossly unfair playing field and undermines the principles on which the PUVMP was built, the group said, adding the status quo “erodes public trust in government enforcement, discourages investment in legal modernization efforts, and places our employees and stakeholders in financial jeopardy.”
The association called on the city government to enforce the Department of Transportation policies on the phasing out of noncompliant units, the requirement consolidation, and the strict enforcement of the modernization transition.
“These directives are not being observed on the ground in Bacolod and we urge your office to take immediate action,” the group requested Gasataya, adding that it was formed in good faith and remains firmly committed to the PTMP’s core goals of providing safe, efficient, and sustainable public transportation for all.
“We consolidated, procured modernized vehicles, complied with all government regulations, and absorbed the considerable financial obligations attached to this transition,” said the association consisting of 11 companies/coops and employing more than 2,000 workers, including drivers, mechanics, dispatchers, and administrative personnel.
The letter-appeal was endorsed by the City Mayor’s Office to the Sangguniang Panlungsod and is now with the Office of Councilor Dindo Ramos, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transportation and Traffic, for appropriate action. | CGC
