Transport expert Robert Siy of the Move as One Coalition pushed for a service contracting system where drivers and operators are paid by the government on a per kilometer basis.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 13) — As the national government prepares for the possible easing of quarantine restrictions, a transport group is pushing for a standard payment system for drivers of public utility vehicles.
At a hearing of the Committee on Transportation in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Siy said his proposed system should replace the present “boundary” arrangement where drivers earn daily based on the number of passengers they ferry.
Siy said adopting a fixed pay system would free drivers from scrambling to get more passengers in order to earn more under the “boundary” arrangement. The government could then save more jeepney drivers who are “on the brink of starvation” by allowing more PUVs to operate while enforcing a proper health protocol on passengers.
There are over 250,000 registered jeepneys nationwide, around 55,000 of which are in Metro Manila alone, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said.
LTFRB chair Martin Delgra said his office allowed only some 8,000 jeepneys to operate in Metro Manila prior to the return to the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), but would try to gradually increase the units, including buses, to help commuters once Metro Manila reverts back to the general community quarantine status (GCQ).
Siy urged the House panel to include a budget for the standard payment system in the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2.
Committee chair Edgar Mary Sarmiento agreed with the recommendation.
“This is now the time to go through that concept wherein the government will subsidize sa gastos ng pananakay. Hindi naman tama na gumagastos ng sobra ang mamamayan lalo na pag minimum wage lang,” he noted.
[Translation: This is now the time to go through that concept wherein the government will subsidize transport expenses. It’s not right that the public should spend so much, especially the minimum wage earners.]
However, Sarmiento could not guarantee that the proposal would be immediately considered by the chamber.
Move as One Coalition had pressed for a ₱40-billion allocation for transportation under the Bayanihan 2 to help displaced drivers recover from their losses due to the ban on public transportation during the lockdown. But the House approved only a ₱21-billion budget for the sector under the proposed bill passed last week.
Bayanihan 2 is now up for bicameral deliberation in Congress. The House is proposing a ₱162-billion stimulus fund, higher than the ₱140-billion proposed by the Senate, to help the national government address the pandemic.
