Narratives behind the jeepney-modernization program
Ma. Luisa Pineda & Pathricia Ann Roxas
Exhausted from almost 15 hours of driving Ikot around the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, Cesar Sta. Maria, 53, traverses Commonwealth highway from end to end as he lives way past the other side of the city.
His everyday routine entails getting on the road at 6:00 a.m. to the university and capping the day off at around 9:00 p.m. It would be a lucky day, he said, if he could come home earlier to play with his grandchildren.
As the president of Bagong Samahan ng Drivers at Operators- Ikot (B.S.O.D- Ikot), there would be nights that Sta. Maria would stay out a little later than usual to conduct regular meetings with his members. They talk about matters from internal issues such as membership suspension, to issues on the stricter and more tedious renewal of permit to operate by the government.
Ikot jeepneys are at the forefront of the transportation system within the campus since the university’s early days. For generations, they have transported students from building to building, to and fro their classes. Students come and spend their four or five years in the university while the Ikot jeeps remain to pick up passengers and drop them off their destinations.
An Ikot driver for three decades now, Sta. Maria is just one of the thousands of drivers nationwide whose jeepney units are in danger of being phased-out due to the Department of Transportation’s jeepney-modernization plan.
Yet, way before this, the yellow-roofed jeepneys have succeeded against threats to their existence and still remain to be one of the university’s icon.
In 2012, the Philippine monorail constructed inside campus raised alarm within drivers as rumors had it that it will replace Ikot as the primary transport in the campus. However, Phase 2 of the project which involves construction of a 6.9 km rail inside the campus has not yet ensued due to issues faced; thus, temporarily putting an end to its threat against jeepney drivers.
Another threat to the present state of the jeepney drivers is the entry of the modern electric jeepneys.
The university’s vision to go green has started in 2015 with the entry of UP E-kot Tricycles lend by Bemac Electric Transportation Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of Japanese firm Uzushio Electric Co. Ltd. Up to the present, E-kots are still roving around the campus, only for the UP administration’s use.
According to Sta. Maria, Global Electric Transportation president Freddie Tinga has offered them to drop their present units and replace them with the modern electric jeepneys manufactured by his company.
As the electric units are pricey, the Ikot drivers are offered to be employed under his company as drivers, with a basic salary of P500 a day, a deal they rejected.
Sta. Maria said the salary does not amount to what they get from driving their present units. Aside from earning more than the basic salary being offered, they are allowed to take the jeepneys home and use them for their personal affairs, something the electric jeepney companies can’t offer.
Moreover, the horsepower of the present jeepney units they drive, said Sta. Maria, cannot be toppled by the electric jeepneys as these modern units cannot drive to mountains and may ran out of battery anywhere.
“Masarap ngang sakyan, pero ‘yong tibay? ‘yong quality?” said Sta. Maria about the electric jeepneys.
Come 2016, the Lopez Holdings offered almost the same deal, coupled with modern charging stations on each waiting shed. This was also rejected by the Ikot drivers as it was no better than the first offer.
The entry of E-kot together with the succeeding offers to Ikot drivers on switching to electric jeepneys sees to serve as an introduction in the university of the public transportation modernization program.
Public transport modernization
This year, two major transport strikes were launched against the government’s plan to phaseout jeepneys over 15 years old as part of the public transportation modernization program.
The series of protests last Feb. 6 and 27 affected key cities such as Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod. The first strike had around 15, 000 of commuters stranded in Metro Manila, according to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), with 12 routes paralyzed. The Feb. 27 strike claimed 7, 000 commuters affected in the city.
The public transport modernization program is an initiative of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to modernize the transportation system in the Philippine through the introduction of modern engines, system of transportation and traffic management. Its implementation is now on-going, DOTr’s Assistant Secretary Mark Richmund de Leon said.
“By 2022, Filipinos will have a pleasant commuting experience where public transport is adequate, safe and comfortable and travel time is predictable,” said Asec. De Leon.
In the DOTr’s plan, trunks and feeders are to be introduced. Trunks, which includes railroad transport and buses, are the part of the transport system that will travel on main roads and highways such as EDSA or province to province routes.
Jeepneys and tricycles will then consist the feeders, the part of the transport system that will bring people to the trunks and will not be allowed on major roads.
Inevitable jeepney phase-out
De Leon said the Omnibus Franchising Guideline, which will include the new jeepney vehicle standards, will serve as the bible for the whole Public Utility Jeepney (PUJ) modernization plan. De Leon said that the guideline is still on its drafting phase, as consultations with jeepney drivers and operators are still on going.
However, jeepney drivers and operators inside UP said they were not invited for any consultations.
The plan will oblige jeepney operators to form a centralized cooperative and each should employ their own customer service, financial officers, safety and maintenance officers. The jeepney boundary system will be abolished as drivers will have fixed salary for eight hours of driving.
De Leon clarified that new jeepney units will not necessarily be electric jeepneys. The DOTr will be prescribing the design and specifications of the jeepney and private companies with the best specifications and cheapest bid will be chosen as the manufacturer.
De Leon said they have been in contact with concerned departments and agencies such as Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and local government units.
As the number of jeepney units will be regulated, thousands of drivers and operators are in danger of losing their jobs.
De Leon explained however, that this proposed modernization program will be generating jobs as each operators is required of hiring additional personnel aside from drivers.
However, the jobs cannot accommodate all drivers and operators at present, as most of the jobs require a degree and certain set of skills such as for finance officers and customer service.
In place of the driver who will lose their jobs, de Leon said, their children may take the jobs in the said positions.
He furthered that DOTr will be working in partnership with banks like Landbank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines to assist operators in buying new units.
To help alleviate the cost of purchasing new units, the assistant secretary said revenues from the new vehicle excise tax will not only manage the volume of private car but will also subsidize jeepney units.
No jeepney units to remain in UP
Should the modernization ensue, Sta. Maria is just one of the thousands of drivers nationwide that would either lose their jeepney units or will be forced to be employed under the proposed operator union.
In UP alone, with the registered 253 jeepney units in 2016, 172 units or 68 percent of the whole jeepney population will be phased out as their engines are 15 years and older.
According to the certificate of registration (COR) issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for each jeepney unit, the oldest Ikot units are two 1900 Isuzu models while the newest model being a 2006 Mitsubishi.
A quarter of the jeepney units has no record of year models on their COR from LTO.
Out of all the jeepneys registered, 56 of them are Ikot jeepneys. Only one among this number of Ikot jeepneys will not be phased out should the provision of age requirement push through.
Melanio De Castro, an operator of UP Ikot, Pantranco and SM North EDSA units said owning almost 50 units is not without its hardships. Some of the jeepney units are just registered under his name, and most of it he inherited from his aunt since the 1960s.
His views on the issue also reflect that of the drivers, “Marami talagang magugutom na pamilya kapag natuloy yan.”
He may be able to afford buying new jeepneys but those who are small-time operators with only one or two units would definitely suffer, De Castro said.
Should the program ensue, all of his jeepney units will be phased-out as the newest unit he has is a 2001 model.
For De Castro, the plan aims to earn profits from them. With P200, 000 capital, they can already assemble one unit, but with the DOTr’s proposal, they have to pay around P1.2 million for just one unit.
“Ako baka sakaling kayanin ko. Pero paano naman yung mga kasama ko? Kawawa naman,” De Castro said.
Annually, the UPD Police Transport Management and Enforcement Team (TMET) conducts its own inspection of the UP PUJs in accordance with the Land Transportation Office-Motor Vehicle Inspection Station (LTO-MVIS) requirements. This is being done to ensure safety of the commuters and the environment of UPD.
Upon complying with the registration and inspection processes, permits are issued to the drivers and operators which will last for a year. The checklist used will be UPDP’s basis for assessing the jeepneys’ roadworthiness and safety.
Despite the present inspection and permit system of the university, Sgt. Jaime Marquina of the UPDP TMET admits that the yearly inspection held every March is not enough. The smoke emission test for example, would not mean that drivers would keep their emissions clean after passing the test.
“Once a year lang yan eh [emission test]. Baka pagkatapos dito hindi na nila ginagawa yan. Kaya ini-encourage po namin yung community na mag-report po sa amin kung may reklamo… Dahil hindi naman po lahat ng oras mababantayan namin sila dahil lilima lang po kami sa transport [committee],” one of the inspectors of transport team, Sgt. Wilfredo Desierto, Jr. said.
The transport management team is not just undermanned, they are also outgunned without enough support from the UP administration.
“Yung isang problema namin eh matagal na kaming nag-request ng opacimeter pang-smoke emission kaso hanggang ngayon di pa binibigay ng UP,” Marquina said.
Aside from the lack of support, the issue of jeepney-modernization also causes confusion among the team and the community of drivers and operators they are dealing with. For Maquina and Desierto, the plan will result to jeepney phase-out to be blunt about it.
Dealing with UP drivers and operators for almost a decade, both officers sympathize with their plight. They believe that the outright phase-out of jeepneys just because they are 15 years and older is unfair.
“Kasi meron nga ako kakilala na ang tatanda na ng jeep ang ganda pa tapos walang usok. Nasa pagme-maintain din. Checkin dapat talaga nila bago nila bigyan ng rehistro,” Desierto said. “Kung nasusunod sana yung batas maayos naman eh. Kaso hindi nasusunod yung inspection dahil sa red tape. Gusto nating gumanda, kaya lang huwag naman to the extent na may mawawalan ng trabaho.”
Marquina likewise expressed his dismay over the plan’s effect of confusion and disruption to the lives not just of drivers and operators, but also of the whole community.
“Yan ibang jeep nagpaparehistro ng non-appearance, hindi naman nakikita ng LTO yung jeep nila pero pinapasa nila. Andyan pa yung korapsyon, magbibigay ka lang P5, 000 o P7, 000 rehistrado na yung sasakyan mo,” said Marquina.
However, both officers admitted that they have no choice but to follow DOTr should the plan be implemented. In the meantime, the two will continue to serve the UP community by inspecting one jeepney at a time.
“Yun naman ang importante sa amin eh. Yung masiguardo namin yung kaligtasan ng mga mananakay lalo na yung maalagaan yung mga estudyante,” said Marquina.
Despite the apparent disturbance and fear circulating among the UP community, the Vice
Chancellor for Community Affairs Nestor Castro said at present, they have no plan regarding the modernization program.
Meanwhile, All UP Workers Union National Public Relations Officer Felix Pariñas questioned the program and said it will result to the displacement of many drivers and their families.
“Batay sa datos ng OVCCA ay humigit kumulang sa apat na raan na driver ang sa kagyat ay maaring mawawalan o mabawasan ng pagkakakitaan,” Pariñas said.
He also added that students will also be primarily affected by the said program.
“Malaking bahagi ng nakikinabang sa serbisyo ng kasalukuyang moda ng transportasyon ay mag aaral ng UP, kung ganoon mainam na maupuan ito ng multi sectoral sa pangunguna ng mga isko at iska dapat lamang na tasahin na maigi ito sa malapitan at malayuan,” he added.
Pariñas also said that in the end, the bigger question is whether who will truly benefit from the program.
The UP Diliman University Student Council Rights and Welfare committee head Renz Roc said they have not been in touch with the UP drivers and operators as there is no central organization for the drivers and operators in UP, making it hard for the USC to reach out to them. To this date, the USC committee has no information on the state of drivers and operators with respect to the jeepney phase-out issue.
Forces at work: the political economy of Philippine transport system
As it is, the current transport system of the country is admittedly not efficient, safe and reliable. For Cresencio Montalbo, officer-in-charge of the UP National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS), the system that Filipino drivers inherited from the past needs change. The same business model they have since 1940s, where revenues are based on the number of passengers carried, results to tight competition and unsafe practices.
For student and commuter Maisie Joven, who’s been riding jeepneys from UP Diliman to Rizal for four years now, while PUJs may not be as efficient as they should, serious considerations must be taken into account.
“Nadadala ako ng jeepney sa destination. Yung current jeepney system may problema din lalo na sa security. Minsan may barumbadong driver, merong maingat naman. Okay lang magka-phase out basta yung mawawalan ng trabaho kailangan palitan ng gobyerno. Hindi dapat pabayaan yung kabuhayan ng mga driver,” Joven said.
While the question of inefficiency is at stake, commuters like Joven wants to reiterate that jeepneys continue to remain as one of the more reliable and cheaper mode of public transport for her.
Yet, in a study conducted by NCTS Director Sheila Napalang in 2015, she said that despite various studies conducted in the last 40 years, the country’s transport system remain to be inefficient.
Napalang explained that Metro Manila’s mass transportation has remained underdeveloped due to the failure to implement transport reforms attributed to the inherent weaknesses in key government agencies and inter-agency and inter-administration politics.
The apparent “lack of coordination among key offices, fragmented planning, and changing of strategic direction as heads of offices changes” have hampered the country’s transport problem for the longest time, Napalang said.
Montalbo said that the new system has many facets and not just the phase-out. This includes the enforcement of a route-rationalization program. To replace the old business model, the revenue will also be based on the number of kilometers travelled to be included in a contract between the public transport operator and the government to be represented by a Public Transport Authority.
“Wala nang punto mag-unahan at mag-agawan ng pasahero. There will also be rewards and punishment system,” Montalbo said.
The UP NCTS has no current role in the DOTr’s modernization plan but there have been recent consultations with them, Montalbo said.
While Montalbo said that jeepneys have finite life and must be subject to phase-out, he admitted that the transportation department must also have mitigating measures.
“Malaki ang pagbabagong gustong mangyari ng programang ito, and in the process it will create disruptions lalo na sa buhay ng tsuper and operator. Dapat may konkretong plano ang DOTr,” Montalbo explained.
“Hindi clear din sa akin ang communications program ng DOTr. Eh dyan nga napaka-importante ng communication kasi ang nakasalalay dyan ay kabuhayan at para maiwasan ang misinterpretation,” Montalbo added.
The issue has been there for years now but even Montalbo said that the political economy of the public transport operations, forces, seen and unseen that operate in the sector are complicated, making it harder for the country’s transport system to move forward.
Ikot Story (Part I)
Perils of modernizing: Who's left out?
With the Philippines struggling to combat its perennial traffic problem and the worsening air pollution, jeepneys are now at odds with the future of transportation. The amount of carbon dioxide jeepneys emit from their diesel engines as well as the boundary system which stiffens competition among drivers jeopardizing commuters’ safety, have been the primary arguments leading to its demise.
But the jeepneys, far more than being one of the distinct icons of Filipino culture, are source of livelihood for more than 300,000 drivers nationwide. While there is a need to address issues in traffic congestion and pollution, families dependent on the jeepney industry must not be disenfranchised and displaced.
Modernization and scientific research in support of government’s transportations policies are crucial more so, one that hears the voice of those affected.
Studies have been conducted by government in cooperation with international organizations, but these apparently lack consultation with the road-users and drivers themselves, who are primary stakeholders and beneficiaries of government action. The most affected population, the Filipino drivers and commuters, deserve to have their voices heard for a truly inclusive response to the NCR’s chaotic traffic situation.
During the 2014 SONA Technical Report, the previous Aquino administration gives credits to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with developing the country’s Transport Roadmap for Metro Manila and Its Surrounding Areas “to address the worsening traffic congestion, lessen traffic accidents, and minimize noise and air pollution in highly urbanized areas through investments in public transportation and traffic management systems.”
George San Mateo, national president of the militant Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston), said in a statement that they were not consulted by these studies.
Their access to official data and research is likewise limited so they had to use estimates or “rule of thumb” in the past to analyze data on the public transport sector, specifically on jeepney drivers and operators.
Latest data from then Department of Transportation and Communication– Land Transportation Office (DOTC-LTO) for 2013 shows a total of 7,690,038 registered motor vehicles in the country. Of the said total, 868,148 are cars; 1,794,572 utility vehicles (UVs); 346,396 sport utility vehicles (SUVs); 358,445 trucks; 31,665 buses; 4,250,667 motorcycles or tricycles; and 40,145 trailers. The LTO lists a total of 2,101,148 motor vehicles registered in NCR, or 27 percent of the country’s total.
While the number of jeepneys have increased with the times, the welfare and lives of its drivers hasn’t always kept pace. In service of the public for most of their lives, they are yet to receive the recognition of the rights they deserve.
Of course, nobody in the line of drivers and operators today is surprised of the ongoing modernization program. This, after all, has been the talk of the town for many years now. And despite this, the ongoing struggle over sustainable livelihood of many Filipino drivers are still in question up to this day.
Ironically, the very victims of the program seem to have been set aside from the issue as most of them are left not consulted, and worse, clueless of the looming demise of their only means of survival.
While the DOTr’s modernization program has clear and serious effects to the UP community, the UP administration is yet to come-up with a plan to keep drivers like Sta. Maria from being displaced from the institution they served for decades, the community they called home.
“Kung tutulungan sana kami ng UP, mas maganda,” Sta. Maria said. “Kasi [sa programang ito], lalo lang nilang paghihirapin ang mahihirap.”
For a driver like Sta. Maria, a unit of jeepney means a chance of serving food on table for his family, and an opportunity to make his life better even for a moment, if not a little bearable.
Drivers themselves are open to possibilities as this very livelihood of them were once possibilities decades ago. Their simple pleas of help and understanding most often seen as not worthy of attention may leave them a little helpless, but surely, never hopeless, and never without a fight.