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[av_heading heading=’RURAL UPDATE | The jeepney again’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JOHNNY NOVERA
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Tuesday, July 4, 2017
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THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) was asked recently by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for help to come up with guidelines on the standardization of public utility vehicles in our roads.
DTI has recommended a new model to replace the old jeepneys of World War 2 vintage that are still plying our streets especially in Metro Manila.
The blueprint for a “modern” jeep prototype will come out by the first week of September 2017 as announced by DTI assistant secretary Ernesto V. Perez in a press briefing held in Makati City recently.
Based on DOTr’s original proposed design, the new jeepney will have a capacity up to 22 passengers with exit on the right side in contrast to the back boarding steps of the old passenger jeep model.
We are glad that DTI said it will meantime accept feedbacks on the new jeepney design from stakeholders up to Aug. 15, 2017 before adopting it.
Allow us to bring to the attention of DTI our article in Panay News on March 2, 2017 with the title, Replace Manila jeepneys with Iloilo models, excerpts from which we quote below:
We wish that Manila jeep operators can see the Iloilo-type jeepneys that we use here and built at Villa de Arevalo District in Iloilo City. They have the same passenger capacity as the extended old Manila jeepneys (seven adults on each seat at the back comfortably facing each other and three at the front seat, including driver or a total of 17), but there is wider leg room for seated passengers, with lower and convenient boarding steps and wide airy windows that come with a transparent protective plastic cover when it rains.
We expressed our opinion then as we say it now that Iloilo can produce enough of the Iloilo-type jeepneys to offer operators of the old jeepneys in Metro Manila or elsewhere to replace their units with the Iloilo models, maybe just at half-the cost of the “new model” proposed by DTI.
We say this considering the volume orders that may be expected nationwide, confident of the acceptability of the jeepney types that have been running on our streets for several years now with good performance.
But better still, we wish that Usec. Ernesto V. Perez of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will take note of this feedback and initiate first an evaluation of the Iloilo jeepney model before making the decision.
In our article on this jeepney program of March 2, 2017 we mentioned of 127 banks operating in Iloilo City that we believe are capable of assisting in financing jeepney operators to acquire new units once the model to be adopted and used is approved.
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We were interrupted while writing this article last Sunday because of the “Battle of Brisbane” on TV or the Manny Pacquiao – Jeff Horn boxing match. Pacquiao obviously lost the bout in points to the younger Horn who is 29 as against him who is now turning 39.
Well, let us leave the reporting and commentaries to the sportswriters who covered the event. Will there be a return bout?
In the late ‘90s we were in Brisbane on a nine-day tour of Australia that included also a visit to the cities of Sydney and the Gold Coast, all river cities. That is why we were interested to get a view of Brisbane again even just on TV, but all that we saw was the huge stadium filled with people who watched the Pacquiao-Horn fight.
We remember the Brisbane River right in the city which was navigable like our Iloilo River. There is a walkway along the river bank where you can see hundreds of people taking a walk every day, especially in early morning or late afternoon.
The river was developed as a transport area for boats to help decongest their city streets. (For comments or re-actions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
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