Beleaguered jeepney drivers and operators filed today before the Supreme Court a motion for reconsideration following the dismissal of their petition against the PUV modernization program.
The Bayyo Association, primarily composed of Igorot drivers and operators from Bayyo, Mountain province—plying their jeepneys in different routes in Metro Manila—is making a renewed appeal for the reconsideration of their petition against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Anselm Perweg, a petitioner and president of Bayyo, said, “our call for reconsideration is rooted in the direct adverse effects the phase-out of traditional jeepneys is having on us, drivers and operators, as government clearly failed in creating a just and equitable transition mechanism.”
“Mababaon kami sa utang [We will be buried in debt]! We will be faced with the daunting prospect of significant debt from mandatory vehicle upgrades—with loans potentially reaching up to P2 million. Members of the Bayyo Association are at risk of financial peril,” Perweg added. “This requirement, as stipulated by the PUVMP, places an unsustainable burden on these individuals and their families, threatening their livelihoods and very way of life.”
Perweg and Bayyo were accompanied in the filing by Atty. Sonny Matula, President of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), and counsel for the petitoners.
A CALL FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
“Invoking the principle of social justice as a cornerstone of state policy under Article II, Section 10 of the 1987 Constitution, the petitioners are advocating for a liberal interpretation of legal standing. This approach is pivotal as they navigate the challenges posed by a policy they view as detrimental to their rights to life and livelihood,” said Bayyo, in its Motion for Reconsideration.
The Bayyo Association emphasizes that this matter is not just of local concern but has burgeoned into a national issue of transcendental importance.
Bayyo and Perweg filed their motion for reconsideration before the SC at 1 p.m. today.
“The backdrop of ongoing transport strikes led by groups such as PISTON and MANIBELA underscores the urgency and breadth of the issue at hand. These protests, calling for the suspension of the PUV Modernization Program, have prompted President Marcos to pledge a review of the initiative, focusing on the critical concerns around the consolidation of drivers and operators,” Bayyo further explained.
“Despite these assurances and the setting of multiple deadlines—the most imminent being April 30—there has yet to be any tangible action to mitigate the program’s perceived confiscatory effects,” Perweg and Bayyo said.
DIGNITY OF STAKEHOLDERS
“The Bayyo Association’s struggle is emblematic of a broader call for a humane, just, and equitable approach to modernization—one that genuinely considers the welfare and dignity of all stakeholders, particularly those whose lives are intertwined with the nation’s traditional modes of transportation,” Perweg said.
He added that as such, the Bayyo Association extends an invitation to all concerned parties to support their cause, advocating for policy adjustments that safeguard not only the future of transportation but also the livelihoods of those who have served the backbone of this sector for generations.
Perweg further said that a day before their group filed its MR, the Department of Labor and Employment held consultations on the Green Jobs Human Resource Development Plan and Just Transition in the Transport Industry.
“Curiously enough, despite the presence of the DoTr in the consultation, no data on the jeepney drivers and operators to be affected by the PUVMP was presented, emphasizing even more how jeepney drivers and transport workers are seemingly being left behind in policy and in practice,” Perweg stated.
