The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) on Thursday, Nov. 16, remained adamant on the jeepney consolidation deadline, expressing confidence that the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP) will be implemented under the current administration.

LTFRB chair Teofilo Guadiz noted that 60 percent of PUJs while 70 percent of public utility vehicles (PUV) in the country have been consolidated and maintained that no jeepney phaseout would ensue after the deadline in a bid to relieve drivers and operators of their worries.

“[I]to po ay datos pa noong October pa po, so I’m sure dumarami nang dumarami pa po ‘to. So yung degree of acceptance po ay malaki na. So confident kami na maitatawid po natin itong modernization,” Guadiz told reporters in a press conference.

“Base po sa aming pag-aaral, e napakalaki ng [disinformation] na nangyayari sa ground. Ang kinakatakutan kasi ng mga tsuper natin ngayon yung phase out na palagi naming inuulit ulit namin na sinasabi wala pong phase out,” he added.

Guadiz also said that they simplified the requirement for operators to organize into a cooperative or corporation, which is necessary under the PUVMP.

Transport groups have rallied against the PUVMP, especially the consolidation requirement into cooperatives or corporations, as it could lead to a monopoly of public transportation that would strip small-time operators of their control and livelihood.