00:00 Long story short, the House panel in today's PUV modernization hearing found a number of kinks to straighten out and loose ends to tie up,
00:09 especially in financing and in the consolidation phase.
00:13 Hence, at this moment, the transition to PUV modernization is a bridge too far to reach for impoverished and financially challenged jeepney owners, operators and drivers.
00:24 PTV correspondent Luisa Erispe on the House panel urging for more time or an apparent extension after the end of the January 2024 deadline.
00:35 No one of you can answer all the questions of my colleagues here.
00:41 And it shows that no one is really complying with this program.
00:46 The LTFRB, Department of Transportation and the Office of Transportation Cooperatives received an earful today from several members of the House Committee on Transportation during the inquiry with regards to the PUV modernization program.
01:01 This is because most of them cannot answer directly the anomalies brought on the table by the lawmakers.
01:07 One is the overpricing of modern jeepney units amounting to 2.8 million pesos.
01:13 According to one of the salons, each driver should earn at least 7,000 per day and this may cost 30 to 40 pesos fair for each rider.
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01:50 Aside from the prices of units, it was also discussed that after January 31, 38,000 drivers who are not consolidated will be considered illegal or [Foreign Language]
02:02 This means they cannot drive their traditional jeepneys and ply their routes anymore and have to find other alternatives for their livelihoods.
02:10 There are also questions raised such as on the existence of corporations or cooperatives that have consolidated but their members are not jeepney drivers.
02:19 There was even one operator who turned emotional sharing his experience of being removed as a member of a cooperative after he was forced to give up his unit's franchise.
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03:33 The DOT are trying to defend its stand on the anomalies and try to explain that aside from the livelihood and employment assistance,
03:41 there are loans amounting to 280,000 pesos that will subsidize drivers or operators who want to avail of units after their consolidation.
03:50 Actually, it's a whole of government approach.
03:53 Not only the Department of Transportation, LTFR, BLTO, but also other departments are here because they have their own roles.
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04:41 But despite these answers, the committee believes the implementation itself is still questionable.
04:46 Aside from the allegations of corruption, the committee believes the LTFRB has yet to explain why it focuses on the consolidation with no concrete plans on how to fix the routes to be awarded.
04:57 Due to this, the committee plans to recommend to President Ferdinand R. Marquez Jr. to extend the deadline of the consolidation as well as the chance for unconsolidated jeepneys to be on the road.
05:08 This is yet to be discussed in the next inquiry to be set by the committee.
05:12 I move that we request the president of this country to readjust, to reschedule the deadline on January 31, considering all the imperative revelation of all the events that we have discussed in this hearing.
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