00:00 I'll just stay home, we'll be hungry.
00:03 He continued to work on the road to Ubando, Bulacan
00:07 until he built a monument in Caloocan City, Manuel Ayala.
00:11 He's been a jeepney driver for more than three decades.
00:14 His operator has already consolidated, but he doesn't have a modern unit.
00:19 Because modern units are expensive, he can't afford to buy a new one.
00:24 That means he can't afford to lose his job.
00:28 I'll just find a job as a private driver.
00:31 Or I'll just work as a motorist.
00:34 I'll just get a new jeepney.
00:36 Because that's where I was born.
00:38 The high price of modern units is one of the reasons
00:43 why the PUV Modernization Program is in charge.
00:45 That's why some people don't want to consolidate.
00:48 Local manufacturers are calling for it to be optional.
00:53 Especially when there are cheaper options like locally made
00:57 that won't cost more than a million pesos.
00:59 Cheap, durable, reliable, and durable.
01:02 Left and right, we made it 30 to 50 years ago.
01:06 It still runs.
01:08 Saraw Motors and Francisco Motors presented
01:11 their modern jeepney to House Speaker Martin Romualdez's group.
01:16 They're just waiting for the approval of the Philippine National Standards.
01:20 This is the branch of the Trade and Industry Department
01:23 that will decide if the units are passed through the National Administration.
01:28 Even then, local manufacturers are saying that their units are cheaper.
01:34 Because this is where spare parts are made.
01:36 It's also durable,
01:38 and it's seen among those who still run on the streets.
01:41 Even though the old one is decades old.
01:43 It can also run 150 kilometers
01:46 in just half an hour of charging.
01:49 It's also safe because it's fully electric.
01:52 It's not using fossil fuel.
01:55 It has a lifetime warranty and access to parts.
01:59 It's a business, but the difference is
02:02 we have a heart for our fellow Filipinos.
02:05 According to the leaders of the House,
02:07 the local manufacturers of modern jeepneys should be given priority.
02:12 They said that the Congress and the Executive
02:15 as a subsidy to the jeepney operators.
02:18 We put in 1.6 billion for an equity subsidy for 2024.
02:25 According to Speaker Martin Romualdez,
02:27 they and the Moharlika Investment Corporation
02:31 are discussing the possibility of investing more than 11 billion pesos for this.
02:37 We will add that to the priority investments.
02:41 We will get capital from abroad for the local.
02:45 The amendment to the Constitution will also help foreign investors
02:52 especially those companies that can make modern jeepneys
02:56 because it's cheaper if the units are not imported.
03:00 We will have an open economy
03:04 so foreign entities, foreign corporations, multinationals
03:08 can locate here
03:10 so that all their technology and innovations can be transferred to us.
03:15 Although President Bombong Marcos and officials of the Ministry of Transportation
03:22 are against the need for consolidation of the franchises,
03:24 Speaker Martin Romualdez and his allies in the House
03:29 are still open to discuss this with us and study
03:32 if this is really needed in the PUV modernization program.
03:37 Rex Remitio, CNN Philippines.
