MindanaoToday.com | Cagayan de Oro jeepney operators forced to consider consolidation as deadline nears
By: Franck Dick Rosete
Due to the limited amount of time, some jeepney operators in this city have no choice but to force themselves to surrender their franchises and to be consolidated into a cooperative or corporation, as the government is firm not to extend the deadline for franchise consolidation on December 31.
Joel Gabatan, president of the United Drivers Association (UNIDA), said he saw his members who are now just willing to bear the franchise consolidation under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) rather than lose their livelihood in 2024.
“I am doing my best to help them be consolidated because they might lose a source of income next year,” Gabatan said in the vernacular on Tuesday, December 12.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on social media also on Tuesday that the deadline for the consolidation of PUV operators “will not be extended,” saying that the government cannot let the minority cause further delays as 70 percent of all operators have already “committed to and consolidated.”
Not extending the deadline, Gabatan said, could probably affect the riding public, as transport groups such as Manibela and PISTON (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) in Manila are also protesting the deadline for the consolidation.
Gabatan admitted that the majority of the operators in this city have already consolidated, and there are only more or less seven routes with more or less 30 jeepney operators who are UNIDA members that are not yet consolidated.
These operators are plying certain routes in Barangays Iponan, Patag, Kauswagan, Lapasan, Gusa, and Cugman. There are also UNIDA members from Claveria town in Misamis Oriental and Oroquieta City in Misamis Occidental who have not yet consolidated.
Gabatan sought help from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB)-Region 10, as some cooperatives were allegedly no longer accepting members.
When asked for LTFRB-10’s response, the UNIDA president was asked by the agency for the list of the cooperatives on the above-mentioned routes and told that it would be sending a letter asking those organizations to accept the applying operators.
LTFRB-10 Director Abosamen Matuan also mentioned this during the Philippine Commercial Vehicle Show here, where the cooperatives participated, asking them to welcome those operators who are not yet consolidated, as their franchises will not be renewed on January 1, 2024.
According to Matuan, 92 percent of the public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in the region were already consolidated, making Northern Mindanao one of the regions with the highest consolidation rate. In UV Express, 89 percent were already consolidated.
Meanwhile, only this city, Tangub City in Misamis Occidental, Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon, and Matungao town in Lanao del Norte have approved Local Public Transport Route Plans (LPTRPs).
The LPTRP is one of the primary requirements before a cooperative or corporation can apply for loans from government banks for their modernized units.
Gabatan vowed that his group will help its members from different cooperatives fight for their rights, especially those who will experience unfair labor practices.
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