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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Monday, October 30, 2017
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MANILA – The Duterte administration plans to spend next year P843 million for its public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
The initial funding for the initiative will be taken from the Department of Transportation’s 2018 budget, said Rep. Johnny Pimentel.
A “highly constructive program overall” was how Pimentel, a House appropriations committee member, described the modernization program, which was launched in June.
“The government is basically stepping in to assure the public a better way to commute in the years ahead while giving PUV operators and drivers the opportunity to upgrade their vehicles,” he said.
The program covers buses, jeepneys and vans and aims to make PUVs “safer, more convenient, more comfortable, and environment-friendly.”
Modernized vehicles will include closed-circuit television cameras and a GPS navigation system. The program also mandates the installation of safety features like speed limiters.
According to Pimentel, the operation of PUVs on public roads is a privilege granted by the government.
“This is why we have a franchising system,” he said. “Those in the business of running PUVs have to live up to higher operating standards to ensure that commuters are safely, efficiently and conveniently transferred.”
Pimentel said the program will also help drive jobs creation in the automotive industry.
“There’s also no question the shift to low-emission vehicles will help reduce pollutants and improve air quality in a big way,” he said.
Under the program, all PUVs 15 years old and older will be phased out.
Two government-run banks have established a P2.5-billion credit facility that would enable operators and drivers with phased-out PUVs to acquire newly designed passenger buses, vans and jeepneys./PN
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