ILOILO CITY – Calls for the suspension of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) continue to gain traction, with Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna emphasizing the need for a decision that safeguards all stakeholders in the transport sector.
As chairperson of the city council’s transport committee, Cabaluna welcomed discussions on the suspension but underscored the importance of a definitive and conclusive government decision.
“If the suspension is finalized, the government must also provide clear measures for those who have already complied,” he stated. “My concern is for those who have followed the requirements—what happens to them? Many transport cooperatives in Iloilo City have already registered a significant number of compliant jeepney units.”
During a committee hearing on July 23, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Senator Raffy Tulfo advocated for the suspension of the PUVMP until all concerns surrounding its implementation are addressed. Escudero urged Tulfo, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, to file a resolution calling on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to temporarily halt the program.
Cabaluna criticized the government’s lack of decisiveness in enforcing the program since its launch in 2017.
“The real issue here is the national government’s inconsistency in implementing the PUVMP,” he remarked in an interview on July 24. “Even before I became a councilor, LGUs were already mandated to comply. However, changes in administration have caused repeated delays in modernizing our jeepney system.”
Iloilo City stands among the first local government units (LGUs) to align with the PUVMP, particularly in route rationalization, fleet modernization, industry consolidation, and pilot implementation. On May 27, the city rolled out its enhanced Local Public Transport Route Planning (LPTRP) initiative.
Cabaluna noted that many jeepney drivers and operators in the city have already committed to the program, with some securing loans from state-run banks to modernize their vehicles.
According to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), 1,692 traditional jeepneys—or 75 percent of the city’s units—have complied with the PUVMP’s mandatory consolidation requirement. Under this policy, individual franchise holders and operators must form or join cooperatives or corporations, leading to the eventual phasing out of old jeepneys in favor of modern units.