The General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) joins all the workers in the transport sector nationwide in their protest to express their indignation against this deep sense of injustice as they demand for a comprehensive and just transition system in lieu of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, that for GAWA is anti-worker and anti-poor, a press statement from the group said.
In the midst of soaring unemployment, phasing out PUV or jeepneys will proliferate unemployment and will exacerbate the worsening economic situation. Hundreds of thousands of workers in the transport sector will be displaced and their families would be suffering from hunger and poverty as jeepney operators and drivers that have not complied with the PUV Modernization Program can no longer ply their routes, GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho said.
Traditional jeepney drivers were shocked to find that their franchises were being canceled or modified for being non-compliant with the PUVMP. Meanwhile, new franchises and routes were being issued to large corporations which are investing in modern jeepney units and other facilities, he said.
This program is grossly anti-poor and unjust. Transport group PISTON claims that in total, the pandemic has affected 500,000 jeepney drivers and 200,000 small jeepney operators. These are the same idled transport workers and operators expected to modernize their fleet, Sancho said.
In total, one modern jeepney unit would cost around P2 million to P2.5 million, more than ten times the current cost of a traditional jeepney. Compared to taxis and buses which are owned by big companies, jeepneys are often owned by low-income jeepney operators and drivers, he said.
In the face of this questionable program, the government failed to protect the rights and welfare of the workers and the commuters, Sancho added.*
