DAVAO CITY--- The national and local governments have ensured that utility drivers of vans and jeepneys will receive socio-development assistance due them with the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

In one of the recent episodes of the One Davao Presser, Regional Director Nonito Llanos said that the government is due to provide a socio-development package that includes monetary assistance and technical skills training to equip those who would be affected either to find another means of livelihood, employ as bus driver under the modernization program, or do technical jobs at terminals of modernized transport vehicles.

To strengthen the ranks of public utility drivers, the LTFRB assists them to organize into cooperatives or corporations so they would become part owners of the public transport units not plainly drivers or lone operator-driver.

“If ma coop na sila, mamahimo na silang tag-iya,  usa na sila  sa mga tag-iya. They will become owners of  the units. Naa silay regular nga sweldo. Dili na boundary system at the same time, kung unsa ang income sa ilang cooperatiba, uyon  sa ilang internal na pagasabutan, naa sila share sa income sa maong mga  modernized units. (They will become part owners if they would be organized as coops. They would then have regular salary that would no longer be on a boundary system, and at the same time, whatever would be the income of their cooperative, based on  their internal agreement, they would have income share.),” he Llanos said.

In the PUVMP, owners of PUV and PUJs owners would have to keep their units as private vehicles but aged PUVs and PUJs of 15 years and above, would have to be taken to the LTFRB scrapping center for destruction Llanos said, owners would be given due remuneration based on the assessed value on top of the socio-development package.

Meanwhile,  Retired Police Col. Dionesio Abude, chief of the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) revealed that the City Council of Davao had already passed a City Ordinance mandating the grant of the socio-development package to PUJ drivers who would be affected by  the High Priority Bus (HPS) System implementation  of the city government.

Abude said that even tricycle drivers who would be losing livelihood  due to  the routing of high priority buses, are  also entitled to receive socio-development package and skills training assistance.

The CTTMO screens the list of  duly registered PUJ drivers in the city  and conducts education program relative to the implementation of HPBSS that is due  to  start in the last quarter of 2024, he said.

Meanwhile, LTFRB  Public Transport Modernization Program focal, Engr. Ronnel Victor Panigon said LTFRB had so far facilitated the formation of 30 transport cooperatives regionwide.   “Sa van, 96 percent units na na-formed nga transport coops.  Sa PUJs, 86.57 percent.   Taas ni nga percentage,” he said during the One Davao Presser.

Corollary to this, Llanos said Davao Region had posted 91 percent compliance among local government units (LGUs) outside of Davao City,  regarding formulation of route plans in relation to  the local PUVMP implementation. (PIA XI/ Jean Duron Abangan)