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[av_heading heading=’ Despite consecutive oil price rollbacks, Iloilo drivers still hounded by setbacks’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By Harvey Cagalitan, Intern
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Saturday, June 24, 2017
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ILOILO City – Transport organization Piston Panay recently launched their latest protests against government measures that would affect the livelihoods of public utility vehicle drivers, with approximately 5,795 registered public utility vehicle drivers in the city and province.
The rise and fall of oil prices, the phase-out of older jeepneys, as well as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Driver’s Badge Program are of main concern for Edgar Salarda, spokesperson of Piston Panay.
“Siyempre, ang pag-unite ng mga drivers at operators against sa mga anti-drivers,” he explained regarding the goal of the recent protests.
In regards to the consecutive oil price rollbacks, he specified such actions can be traced to the oil deregulation law (Republic Act No. 8479), underlining that these provide merely temporary relief for motorists.
“Temporary ang rollback sa langis, overpricing ng oil company nga peso per litro sa langis,” he said in a recent interview. Salarda shares that yhe problem right now is the current administration’s tax reform bill, which seeks to impose a P6 per liter tax on diesel and a P10 per liter tax on gasoline.
Against phaseout
Meanwhile, the Traffic Crisis Act of 2016 (House Bill 4334) plan to replace older public utility vehicles with more environmentally-friendly versions is also a presing issue for jeepney drivers.
The bill has been criticized by drivers for its sprawling effects such as less income for gasoline station workers and traditional vehicle mechanics. The phaseout has also been met with criticism with its requirement for operators to acquire newer units despite high costs.
Badge program
The LTFRB Drivers Badge Program is also another point of concern for many of these motorists. The program requires drivers to receive training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as well as a “Driver’s Badge” to operate.
Although the program aims to ensure safety and efficiency in transportation, it has been described by Salarda “masakit” due to how the complicated procedures may burden public utility drivers.
“If you can’t pass, hindi ka na pwede mapadala sa PUV; if you only pass, you cannot switch to another vehicle,” he described. He also noted roadside operations and policies (such as smoke emission tests and the 2013 Comprehensive Perimeter Boundary Ordinance) primarily targeting public utility vehicles./PN
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