MANILA, Philippines — Transport group Manibela on Friday slammed the government’s planned service contracting program for public utility vehicles, saying the measure will benefit commuters more than drivers and do little to ease the fuel crisis battering jeepney driveres.
In an interview, Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said the program, set for rollout on April 15, would cover only around 15,000 PUVs out of about 280,000 units nationwide.
He said the limited reach of the program would leave most drivers without meaningful relief and would not address the continued squeeze on their daily earnings.
Valbuena also said the fuel subsidy being discussed alongside the service contracting plan was too small to offset rising fuel costs, leaving drivers to shoulder most of the burden.
He mocked the structure of the assistance, saying the government was giving the discount to commuters instead of to the drivers who actually consume fuel.
“Our question is, is the jeepney now the one riding the passengers, that is why you are giving the discount to the passenger, when it is us who consume?” Valbuena said.
He argued that the government should direct fuel discounts and other assistance to drivers, not passengers, because drivers are the ones absorbing the impact of oil price hikes while keeping their units on the road.
Valbuena said the program, as explained to them, would reportedly prioritize only selected routes such as those near MRT lines and bus terminals, leaving out many drivers whose routes do not pass through those areas.
He also said transport groups were not consulted in crafting the response to the oil price crisis, with decisions being made without enough input from drivers on the ground.
“There is no communication with us when it comes to laying out and resolving this problem,” Valbuena said.
Valbuena added that some drivers had already stopped plying their routes because of weak earnings and the lack of sufficient government support, worsening the situation for commuters in some areas.
He urged the government to roll out faster and more direct relief for drivers, saying the current measures fall short of what is needed to keep public transport running.
