The proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or the Bayanihan 2 does not call for a jeepney phaseout during the pandemic, Sen. Grace Poe said on Aug, 20.
“Marami sa ating mga kababayan ang walang hanapbuhay at kailangan natin ng tranportasyon. Bago pa nga itong pandemyang ito ay kulang ‘yun masasakyan ng ating mga kababayan,” Poe, who is also the head of the Senate committee on public services, said.
Poe said traditional jeepneys could still operate as long the vehicle complies to safety and health protocols.
Poe filed Senate Bill 867 last year for a “just and humane PUV (public utility vehicle) modernization program,” which made available loans and cash subsidies to jeepney drivers who cannot comply with the new requirements due to financial constraints.
The senator also noted the position of several jeepney associations who said that traditional jeepneys, which have no air conditioning units, may be a safer means of transportation.
“There are others who are saying that it’s safer to ride a jeep kasi open air as opposed sa mga iba na contained talaga, ‘yung recycled air ang hinihinga nila,” Poe said.
Poe assured jeepney drivers they would be among those given priority assistance out of the P5.58-billion fund under the Bayanihan 2.
“We agreed to provide the much-needed support to displaced workers in the transport sector,” she said.
The senator said that the fund would be used to provide temporary livelihood to displaced transport industry workers, with P3 billion allocated to jeepney drivers and P2.58 billion for other PUV drivers.
Bayanihan 2 also allocated P17.97 billion to the Land Bank of the Philippines and P5.5 billion to the Development Bank of the Philippines that the transport sector may tap as loan facilities through the Department of Transportation. Jayziel Khim Budino
