Jeepney dapat na bang i-phase out?

No lies. No distortions. Just the facts. And the truth about issues that matter. Facts First with Christian Esquera. Good evening guys. Welcome to tonight's program. Tonight's episode of Facts First. I am Christian Esquera. Again, thank you very much for your continued support of our program. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to all of you.

So before I introduce our guests and before I mention our topic today, I just want to mention that we're from Iloilo and we're a bit connected because earlier we were talking, I gave a lecture earlier on disinformation and democracy at West Visayas State University and I want to invite the teachers and students who are very, very engaged when it comes to the importance of long-term democracy, free press,

When it comes to democracy, very refreshing to be in the company of someone

young people, journalism students, communication students, fellow faculty members. And earlier, that was my second time to be in Iloilo. The first time I think was in 2013 while I was covering the, while I was on the campaign trail. I was still a reporter in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and I was covering the midterm elections then. That was the last time I was in Iloilo and honestly, the change was huge. It was beautiful.

I also saw the sidewalks, they're really good. And then, I was with them earlier, we talked about over lunch, how was the transport strike in Iloilo. Our colleagues said it wasn't good because the implementation of jeepney modernization in Iloilo is good. Well, I said, wow, it's good, where did it go wrong? Especially, that's our topic tonight. Jeepney.

jeepney modernization. So meron po tayong dalawang panauhing ngayong gabi. A konting background lang, no? Diba nagkaroon po ng supposedly week-long transport strike dahil po meron mga problema na na-raise yung ating jeepney drivers and operators pagdating po dito sa ini-implement na modernization ng ating public utility jeepneys. So i-face out na yung mga

Usually, the driver, the name of his children, always has an H. No,

I don't know why, but it's fun because that's part of our Philippine culture. Now, of course, there are a lot of issues when it comes to the so-called emission, environment-friendly, etc., etc., and even the routes. So, understandably, there's an effort to modernize the public utility jeepney system here in the Philippines. The question is,

Is the program itself okay? And number two, is the implementation okay? So that's what we're going to talk about tonight. So first, we'll introduce Ms. Haya Bendanya. She's one of the organizers of Move As One PH. And she also has a Twitter handle, Proud Anak ng Jeepney Driver. Good evening to you, Haya. And thank you for joining us here at Facts First.

Hello, sir, Christian. Magandang gabi po. Okay. Tapos, ang ating pangalawang panauhin, nagbabalik po ito. Medyo suki na natin ito dito sa Facts First, pati sa ANC before. Si Mr. Ira Cruz, co-founder tama ba? Or ikaw nag-iisa? Alam ko, co-founder ka, diba? Marami kami. I'm just the one asked to speak on behalf.

Good evening, Christian. Good evening. That's why I invited Ira to talk about the issue of Jeep demodernization in the bigger context of improving our public transport system in the Philippines. Your advocacy, Ira, is about the commuter.

Not the ones who drive or drive vehicles. Okay, let's start with Haya. Your tweets went viral because you're asking why the strike happened. Because the jeepney drivers who were on strike were labeled as communist-inspired. They were called by Vice President Sara Duterte. What's the reason? It's good that it came from you, Haya. Why did the strike happen?

Ano kasi ano kuya, parang sobrang dami ng hinihingi ng requirements ng gobyerno. Tapos nagpapadedline sila, pero sila mismo hindi kaya mag-comply sa deadline na binibigay nila.

There are many serious reasons but I can't comment on them. Quick recap, the first is that there are many obstacles in the process of modernization of the PUV program that makes it difficult for the GVP units to comply. For example, to build a cooperative or consolidate to the first requirement of the PUVFT,

They need to pay 300,000 cooperative fee plus 20,000 pesos per unit included in the cooperative So if you have 20 units, that's 20,000 times 20 units, that's 400k Plus 300,000, that's automatically 700,000 And what is that? That's the first requirement Timeout, timeout The 300,000 is included in half of that if you include the consolidation, okay?

But it is still a huge investment especially in the pandemic. The price of diesel and gasoline has gone up. The JIPNIC community is still recovering. There are many other options. The second option is the equity subsidy because the government offers a maximum of P360,000 to our JIPNIC units.

units go as much as 2.8 million each. So, sobrang langit po nang pinapasa sa JICMI drivers natin na again, walang financial capacity to procure those units.

Lastly, many of our drivers are old and rely on the boundary system of their units for pension, medical, and daily expenses in the event that they cannot drive. If their drivers face off and the government does not provide social support, they may not have a pension.

So, of course, they are resisting. So, what we want is for them to receive social support to least resistance for the program because otherwise, those GP drivers will really not like it. And our call is to include the transport community in designing the PUDMP. It is not from above that the struggles and the process of integration will not be understood.

So, are you not being consulted? For instance, your father, in the plan of modernization. Because this is not new, right? Are you not having an honest to goodness consultation? So that he can at least hear what he's being told. What happened, Kuya? It's like a token consultation. You know the type of... I know, Kuya. I was very tense during the last Senate hearing. You'll be called to the hearing.

but it's not really a sit-down. It's like you're going to be called and then you're going to be given the decision and then you'll explain why you don't agree with the decision. So it's not a co-designing process. It's like a checklist or not. And over the years, it's like few and far between. And it usually happens when the head of the sex workers is already hot. It happens when it's about to strike.

Because he's doing preemptive to things like strikes. Okay, Aira. Is this how your group reads what happened here? The implementation of the chief of modernization is a bit messy. I think to say a bit is an understatement. The implementation of the modernization group is really messy.

We agree with Haya when she says that there are so many questions. Not only about fees, she talked about fees, but in the whole process itself, it's a bit complicated and very long. So just think about it, when Haya explained to us about that process, actually we talked to Haya, it's probably 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, and we took one step at a time.

For a company to build a corporation, complicated as it is, just think about the implications for GP drivers who don't have time to work, they won't be able to pass the time to build a cooperative.

The implementation is messy but there is no support. So what we are saying in the hearing is that the implementation is delayed.

We have extended the deadline four times. But the question is, what do they do in between? Do they introduce an intervention to help and to understand why they extended it? Or do they just extend it to cool the issue? And that's what happens when you extend it because no intervention is being introduced.

At the very least, at least if I would be the glass half full here, when Senator Poe and Senator Antiveros, Senator Villanueva, and Senator Binay had a hearing, at least the issue was surfaced in front of DOTR Secretary Bautista. And of course, what we're hoping for now is that the issues will be out. I hope this time around, there will be steps to be implemented. And

We're looking forward to the invitation of Secretary Bautista to have a dialogue between all the stakeholders so that this can really be held once and for all. Okay. Because they're saying that it will be extended until the end of the year because of the conversation between the transport groups and then Malacanang. So, your agam-nyo, Ira, maybe it's the same. Nothing happened. The head was just cooled down.

But, you know, Christian, Senator Ontiveros asked this. He asked the LTFRB, why December 31? What is the

What was the process of how you arrived on December 31? And this was not answered by the LTFRB. Maybe it just came out, okay, not June, okay, end of the year. But it seems like there's nothing. So he said, wait, don't say December 31, sit down, talk, know what you should do, and then you can make a date.

Okay, let's help them. Maybe they'll be able to grasp what we're talking about here. Haya, what do you want to see once and for all? Because Ira is the one who's talking. Ira and Haya, okay. So, what do you want to see this time? What is the honest-to-goodness difference that you want to see now that the implementation has been delayed?

At the moment, they don't have the capacity and budget to implement.

They are giving deadlines but the number of the OTR staff and LTFRD staff is not enough to implement a nationwide program. So, honestly, what we want is to post the deadlines first, all deadlines, and then sit down and design the PUV modernization program properly. And along with the sitting and arranging, can we make a pilot in one area first?

We need to provide equity subsidy, social support, and roads that will provide a good road for commuters to commute.

and then check if the requirements and the process that is given to the GME drivers are friendly for them and just transition for them and then modify and then replicate what we did in the last 5 years is surprise nationwide! the trial period is nationwide

The OTR has no capacity to implement a nationwide program. Same with LTFR, they don't have staff, they don't have the budget for it. Senate and Congress did not give enough budget for equity subsidy. At the same time, our jeepney drivers are not socially prepared.

This is what will happen, this is the process. At every step of the process, they are surprised. And everyone is suffering. Not just our transport workers, even the DOT or LTFRB are pressured because they need to deliver results. They can't deliver because they can't do it. Mission-wide implementation.

From my understanding, they want to band together as a cooperative to consolidate. You can purchase the modern jeepneys and there's a government subsidy. But it's very expensive. Someone commented that a modern jeepney is expensive for a new Fortuner. It's hard to explain.

Just to give context before I call Ira, how much does a jeepney driver earn now? Especially after the lockdowns? Yes, jeepney and driver operator, to be honest, they are... That's his jeep. Sometimes, it goes 1-2. So, it's a bit higher than average minimum wage. But let's remember, he's the one who will answer the maintenance.

Plus, at the same time, the price of crudo is also dependent on it. They also have an association with it. If the jeep is driven, sometimes their take home is 650 to 800 pesos. Sometimes even less than that. So they are a bit more expensive than the minimum wage. But at the same time, the important thing to consider here is that they are not 8 hours of labor. Sometimes, they are stressed, they are already traveling, and they will just go to the garage at 11 pm.

So for that amount of money, for that long hours of labor, even if we say it's a lot, it's still not just wage because the time they spend is too much. Sometimes it's two days worth of work. It's not actually that much. Don't say that. It's too much for one or two working hours. Ira, some people are asking, the basic question, should it be modernized at this time?

Is there an agreement regarding that? That we need to modernize our jeepney system, transport system? I think between me and Haya, between the Bupas 1 Coalition and the Alpha Society, we agree that the right step is to modernize it.

But it's in the implementation. We all have the same destination, but the problem is that the road is too bumpy and there are too many portions of the road that are under repair that the government is not paying attention to. So I guess in agreement, it's right, but the road is wrong.

Actually, Mr. Sarawo is in the Senate hearing at

We're all the stars. When we saw Mr. Saraw, I wanted to take a picture of him so I can show him. But just to go back to your question, actually, that's what we should talk about. When you say modernization, it's too fixated on the physical appearance of the unit.

But there's another half that needs to be discussed. The dispatch system, for instance. The dispatch systems of the jeep. What are the proper...

the number of round trips, that's also important to talk about. At this point, that's the most important thing to talk about.

Because that's where computers are lacking. There's a jeep that will come to you at any time of the day. You have a driver. There's a jeep that doesn't fill up. There's a jeep that you don't need to go to the terminal. But that's what Haya was saying earlier. All of us have a burden here and we need to stop before we talk about the deadline. Because the LPTRP that I'm talking about

For instance, it's important because you consolidate the GPs and the cooperatives, but the route they're running is not yet fixed. That LPTRP is a debt of the government that they're not yet giving. So what will be fixed? And that LPTRP is not just there on the route. When I talked to an executive of the DBP, they need that to be a debt. Because that's the measure of creditworthiness that the banks are saying.

So, you need to be patient before you have a deadline. You were going to say something. I think it's complicated. I must admit, when I was monitoring this, I was really focused on the topic. And also the route, right? Yes, the route. Correct. Okay. Is that a shame? Were you involved in those conversations before?

Will there be a reschedule for the jeep and the parking lot? What will happen to the parking lot? He should be part of the discussion but in the past

So, the national government can be angry at the LGUs because the LPTRP is not yet complete, so they can't borrow from the bank. But also, the basis of the LPTRP also comes from the national government. So, I think it's true.

The drivers and commuters are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones who are the ones

The people who are most affected by bad conditions in a jeepney unit are the drivers. If you compare the limited exposure of jeepney drivers, they want a more dignified journey and a better route. But the requirements surrounding it are not in the government's control.

For a jeepney driver, there are a lot of terms. You have LPTRP, you have the route rationalization study, you have fleet management. Mare, what is that? What is that? Is it fleet management?

Yes, fleet management, dispatch system, automated fare collection system, there's also a need for wifi, a need for a garage, you know, all of these things, right? And Ian, if I may add,

Yung paggawa ng LPTRP, mahirap siya. Hindi siya basta-basta lamang ginagawa. In fact, pinag-aralan nito ng ibang tao for several years sa skwelahan. Ngunit ang ginawa ng gobyerno, nagpa-seminar sa LGUs ng isa-dalawang araw at inaasahan na nila makakagawa na ng kanya-kanyang LPTRP yung mga LGUs.

so capacity issue to make the lptrp or your route rationalization is in the same okay one of the end goals john young actually

If it can be implemented. But the problem is, it might be worse for the drivers, for instance. But my question here is, these messes that we see, is this just natural when you actually shift to something modern? Or maybe you're seeing gross incompetence or detachment on the part of our government officials implementing it? I mean, you're not jeepneying on those, right? You read it first, Ira. What do you read there?

Okay, there's a big disconnect. If you read the steps to make a corporate, you will understand what the reader is reading. And you will also understand the financial capacity for what Haya said, almost P320,000 that you need to spend. That's not your debt, that's not your debt to the unit, that's just for the signing of the corporate. You should also, in a simple mathematics, you should understand it.

So, Kaya is telling us, for instance, let's say the driver's income is 1,200. The monthly amortization is probably 40 to 45 thousand pesos. The 1,200 is not clean, right? Those are their living expenses. So, if you look at it in a very simple way, looking at the process, the expenses that are needed,

there's a big disconnect, a big gap between them and the ground where they're implementing this. That's right. Haya, same question. What do you see here? Is detachment a big factor in terms of the relatability on the part of our government officials? That's probably the problem we see.

Most of them are driving their own cars. But I think they can do it. I hope they can be allowed to do it if there is a multi-sectoral committee that they consult regularly and they are able to have a dialogue. Not just a consultation when there is a strike. The privilege of those who are sitting in government,

We can't do anything about it. I was not born into a rich family. So I'm already out of it. But the earnestness for them to really consult and stand in solidarity with the sector as they co-decide the program, that can change. That can be called upon. That can be, you know, they can be respected. And I think the most important thing, Christian, is

We all want a proper transport system but because of the pandemic, the government's budget is not enough, and everyone is recovering from it. Can we pause buying new units for the secondary?

We can fix the transport system first, then we can ask the jeepney drivers and tell them to modernize their fleets. What happens is that they become obsessed with what they can see immediately. As if if you have new units of jeep, our transport system will be fixed.

We need to fix the system before the modernized units for example because that's the priority and more impactful. If I may add, the top of the card you mentioned earlier, that's right. Actually, it's in the law or policy of the DOTR that we will have what we call AFCS.

And it's not just about the convenience of the tap. Actually, if that AFCS is implemented, it actually could result to savings for commuters. Because when you transfer, you'll notice that when you transfer a vehicle, you'll pay the first three kilometers that you paid for the passenger. Now, if there's an AFCS, it'll be rationalized. You won't pay for

So that's also the most important thing that the AFCS has to do to result.

in savings for the computers. Hayang is right. Actually, I will have to step back and say, we can't say that there is a system, if we talk about this Christian, we can't say that there is a system of transportation. What are they saying? Because the modes of transportation are not coordinated, right? Rail is separate, the road is different, the bike lane is stopped, and so on.

And it's very important here, we should remove, maybe to make it faster, we should remove shuttle service from government agencies, we should remove gas allowance, remove parking slots, so they can force themselves to understand. Because if they don't jeep, maybe you should jeep. It's like you're in a restaurant, you want to buy food for people, but you're not tasting your food. It's unfair.

Actually, lahat yan. Parang pag may ganito kwentuhan, ang gagawin nila...

They'll ride in a jeep and do an MRT once, and not rush hour. And then they'll have photographers with them who will be on social media saying, "We can already feel what you're feeling. Hello." But you know what, Christian? Even if they don't have a media partner, the experience is different the one you did once versus the one you do every day.

That's different. Their nose will turn black during the trip.

Or maybe...

We have to admit, there are a lot of things missing in the new system. Who would like to answer that?

Kuya Ira has an old Senate hearing. We need to recite. The jeepneys that were renewed are approximately 158,000. But it could reach 200,000 jeepneys. Okay. Is that in their modernization plan? The drivers and or operators of those jeepneys?

Is it really possible to accommodate them? I mean, the carrying capacity of the modernization plan, is it possible to swap it to the current number? It's hard to answer because we haven't had LPTRP until now.

Because we need to be guided by the LPPRP. That's what's funny because you're literally putting the heart before the horse. You're telling people to group yourselves into ten, right? And then we'll build. Wait, we're still fixing it. We want to build. That's the problem. That's why you really need to... Haya is right. Let's not rush the deadline because it hurts.

Tumi, it's hard to say face out because it's like you're being removed. We're talking about the life of people here. It's like we're saying, we're going to face out people. It's not right. It's not helpful because these are the people who are serving the country.

Well, government officials can also face out in the next election. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I also said that. I

Rationalization. This is a specific question to Haya. This is what I'm thinking. The plan you're saying is not yet there, right? For the LGUs. Because I'm thinking, you're studying well how many routes should be applied in, let's say, a particular set of streets, right? How many passengers? How many modern jeepneys should be deployed? Then,

If it's not matched to the current number of jeepney drivers, what will happen to those who will not be accommodated? Is there a discussion like that, Haye? That should be the result of the route rationalization study that has been not yet available since 2017. That should be done by a government agency.

So that's where Christian is going to go because they will measure the number of people who will be on the route and how many units will be managed by the cooperative so that there will be no jeep theft. The reason why the jeeps are driving is because they are stealing from the passengers. They are based on the passengers' income. But if they are cooperatives

and each of them has their own business. And they have service contracting that the government subsidizes the public service because transport is a public service. There is no need for such an on-street competition and it is better. But there is no such thing. I want to point out that the beginning and end of this discussion is not

commuter welfare. If you look at the 2017 discussion, the reason why the government pushed this is because of climate. So commuter welfare is because

People like Kuya Ira have been vocal in speaking out. The reason why he became a transport worker is because people like us have been speaking out. But the banner that the government has been pushing for the Senate, the House, the government officials is because of climate. But to be honest, if we want to protect the climate, jeepney is only 2% of all vehicles in the Philippines.

The majority of pollution comes from private cars. If we want to protect the climate, we will not face off with a jeep. Especially if they carry 20-22 passengers and buses. The units are big but the cars are only one driver. If we are honest, they are the ones who pollute the most.

Yeah.

addicts to private vehicles to people, it becomes a status symbol. So, if the bigger picture messes up, what kind of help will this modernization and cheapness really help? But before that, Ira, I'm just curious. You said you're the daughter of a jeepney driver. Where does your father come from? So that our viewers have an idea.

Yes, the route is FTI Pasay. It's at the FTI Terminal in Maytagig. So that's the route. Sometimes, the route is via service road. So now, he's not yet able to join a cooperative? How?

In 2018, our jeep was already face-out. My father moved to the province. We are now in Bicol because our franchise was not renewed. At that time, our jeep was more than 15 years old. Even though the modernization program was not yet in implementation, technically, it should not be implemented.

On the ground, there are franchises that are not renewed. So, it's with the factory that it's renewed. So, you're the first to face out, quote-unquote, right? So, what does your father do now? He's a farmer. What does he do now? He's busy planting rice. Then, he's the one who gives rice. But since I'm a graduate, he doesn't need to work. But we know that the jeepney driver will be busy. So, he really wants to do something there.

Okay, thank you. I'm just curious about the other things in your story. Okay, Mayra, what was my question earlier? What was your question? I'm the one who's getting older. I'm the one who's older. Good thing I remembered. I'll explain it later. So you said, I often hear this, we don't have a transportation system because of each other. And that's true. Okay.

If the system is being adjusted for PUJs, public utility jeepneys, assuming that it's being adjusted, what about the bigger portion of the transport system? For example, if we are too centered on private vehicles, they are the ones that are more congested. For instance, how about the bus system?

what problem can this actually solve? Kung dito lang tayo nakatutok, for instance, and the bigger problem remains. Oo. Ang mangyayari dyan kasi, dapat dumating sa level na mas...

mas prime, mas maganda yung lumalabas na servisyo ng pagpapublic transportation. Dapat dumating sa level na ganoon na as a car driver, ako mismo yung magsasabing mas maganda pa lang magpublic transportation na lamang. Kasi hindi ko na kailangan magpark, hindi ko na kailangan magbayad ng gas, hindi ko na kailangan

to advertise their cars, it has to come to that point. And we see that when we look at P2P. I talked to the owner of RRCG and in fact, they surveyed people. Many of the areas that are affected by P2P are being opened by doctors, lawyers, students. They are leaving their vehicles at home because P2P has better service.

for them. Now, we should reach that level, our public transportation, where the person himself will say that he just wants to commute. And for some of us that have traveled in other countries, we will see, like Hong Kong, Singapore, European countries, that it's better to have public transportation. We're not saying that the car should be gone, although it's better if they're in Kubonti.

At the end of the day, if as many people as possible are using public transportation, it will be better to have private vehicles. So we need to have options. What is happening now is that too many people are hoping that with too much hope in private cars, even our government officials don't want to commute.

So, it should come to that point. If they don't want to commute, they will tell the people to commute. I don't think that's fair. If I may also add, before I forget, Hayang said earlier that we have discussed in the Senate hearing that Senator Andiveros actually liked it. That we should show the phases of implementation.

Dispatch system, uh,

fleet management, etc. na ang unang goal ay maayos yung ruta. The second phase could be how do you get the jeepney drivers to a certain level of profitability? Number three, or four, or five, tsaka natin pag-usapan, may pambayad na ba para makabili ng panibagong jeepney?

We should put a system in place, not just an arbitrary deadline. I hope you can think about why five years? What will happen in five years? You can think about it, there are political considerations, they have a map of why five years and all that stuff.

um

There should also be a bigger discussion of what is the safety net of the government for those who cannot travel. Is there an option for them to work in the industry of transportation, in the support staff? Or is there another support for them to travel?

So I thought, maybe this will complicate the politicians.

Of course, it won't be easy, but it doesn't have to be messy. Before I forget, you mentioned Sen. Rizzo Antiveros. To be fair to her, I saw her commuting. I saw her before years ago. I think she's a senator now. I told her about Trinoma.

I was wearing Mercedes Benz back then. Of course, I'm just joking. I just wanted to show you. There's a splice. There's a splice. I'm just kidding. That's a joke. You guys are crazy. So, let's do it. What's the expensive one? Tesla. I was wearing Tesla back then. Then, I saw Senator Riza Ontiveros. I said, this is crazy.

Usually, where do you see Senators taking a taxi? Where is the ordinary taxi? Not the Grab. I saw her. Does she take her daughters with her? So I said, it's also in the human race. And to be fair, Senator JV is a biker, even though he's rich. What's the expensive motorcycle? The one that's expensive in the life of a person. Ducati. There's a Ducati. But in fairness, you can see him biking the world.

Anyway, I just asked for it. Just sharing. Before we end, let's repeat. What should we prioritize? What do you want to see? What should we do? Given the deadline extension. For those who forgot about it.

government officials. Thank you. Thank you. First, pause the implementation of the circular memorandum that is set by the deadlines. Pause it first, Mare. You yourself are not complying with the deadlines, so why are you giving me deadlines? So, pause that first. Then,

And this is not just one Senate hearing, and the next Senate hearing is three months from now. It's not like that. Series of conversations, dialogue without media, that are really being held by different transport groups, different commuters groups, of the Senate, of the Congress, of the DOTR, of the LTFRB. What is the solution for the transition that is okay for everyone, and more importantly, that the DOTR and LTFRB are confident that they can implement it on time and properly.

The Senate and Congress said that the funds are deserved. That's a bit of a coincidence. The reason why the Senate and Congress did not fund the funds is because for the past five years, there have been no outcomes. The reason why the outcomes were not delivered to the DOTR is because the budget is not enough. It's hard to fit our transport workers. And the discussion is that it might be best to convene differently.

So it's hard for us as a civil society because we don't have a mandate, we're not elected officials for example. But at the same time, there are so many trust issues of jeepney drivers, operators, transport groups, in DOTR, in LTFRB. It's been years that they are being beaten and hurt. So maybe the best neutral ground that we can convene is

a neutral CSO or something else that can really sit down and discuss and really talk to them over the next six months?

Good point. I thought of something but I can't say it. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

I would echo what Haya is saying. Since it's not justified where the date was set, let's not set a date.

White smoke, black smoke.

Until there's no white smoke, it needs to be that level of media and earnest discussion. And related to that, it needs to gather all the stakeholders. All of us have a bag here, they say. All the national government agencies that are involved, not just DOTR, but also DPWH, MMDA, because MMDA and DPWH are part of profitability. If the GPUs and GPUs

with priority, they will not earn. The burden of DPWH and MMDA is there because they are the ones who are in charge of the way. The industry representatives, cooperatives, individual players, should also be there. Banko, they should be there to talk about it so that it's clear what kind of support the bank needs.

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and the budget in MBUC, we might reach 26 years to fully fund our jeepney modernization. Third, our call to the government is not to fight against the different players in this industry. Sometimes they scare the modern jeepney to the individual jeepney or they say this one is bad, this one is bad. They are fighting against those in the industry. Don't do that. Because we all have to

At the end of the day, it's for us commuters. We are all commuters at the end of the day. That's what's important in all conversations. At the end of that conversation, will they be able to answer the question, will you allow your grandmother, your daughter to commute and ride in the jeep?

Wow, that's what you left behind. Well, thank you very much, Ira Cruz and Kiahaya Bindania. Her explanation is very clear. The ones who implemented it are just fools, I suppose. Okay, so thank you very much to the two of you for joining us. Thank you very much, Mr. Christian. Thank you very much, Mr. Christian. Thank you, Kiahaya and Kiahaya.

Thank you, sir. Have a nice weekend. Have a nice Friday. Take care. Thank you. Happy Saturday. Tomorrow. Okay. That's Ira Cruz and Haya. That's a clear explanation. Sometimes we really need to listen to these voices so that we can really realize what the problem is. You know,

Although a big part of me is also divided when it comes to

the idea of facing out yung traditional jeepneys kasi talaga naging part na ng culture natin e. Parang iniisip ko, meron mong magandang, meron mong modern design kahit pa pano naka-incorporate yung iba't-ibang elements sa ating traditional jeepney because that is very, very Filipino. That's one part sa akin. Kasi nakikita ko yung mga modern jeepneys ngayon, although maganda, technically hindi naman siya jeepney eh. Mukha siyang bigger minivan, malaki.

It looks like a minibus actually. And that's it. There's a part of me that feels sad because even though we see a lot of mistakes in our jeeps, there are a lot of people who are really bad at driving, but at least the idea of a jeepney is very iconic, it's very Filipino. I'm thinking, maybe it can be incorporated into something modern. It's like the beetle car of Volkswagen or in the Philippines, Volkswagen.

It has a modern version of the beetle car. At least you can see that the significant elements are still there. That's all I have. Then, the bigger issue that I see here aside from the specifics that were mentioned by our guests, I see that a big part of the problem has to do with the lack of empathy of some of our government officials.

Well, they are in a position to implement new policies but it's really appropriate to listen to the direct effects of the policies they are doing. And there should be empathy. But when we talk about this empathy issue, how many politicians and government officials understand how hard it is to commute?

Some might say, "Are you Christian Esguerra? Are you committing?" Yes, we are. We have been through the same things when it comes to the jeep. We also get stuck in the same situation. We all experienced that. The hard time in the jeep, the time when you get angry when you want to sleep but you are in the middle of it. You have to pay for it. We also got stuck in the jeep.

and we also didn't get hit by the IOS of the jeepney driver. We all experienced that. And actually this helps us better understand the problem. So when it comes to our government officials, because it really comes to me that there are a lot of government officials, if not all of them, it's easy to craft a policy

that you really can't handle or you can't handle with your heart, what's the problem. Because most of them have SUVs. There are drivers, there are backup cars. So they can't handle the heat and the feeling of how hard it is.

Pumasada of course and how to ride public transport. So they'll do that, they'll think, "Oh, I'll ride a jeep sometimes." "I'll ride a MRT." Then my media staff will come and post on social media. Then when interviewed, they'll say, "I can feel what you're feeling." "Hello, it's not like that." So, you know, maybe a big part of that has to do with that lack of connection. Because

Thank you very much for listening and watching. We'll see you on Monday. Thank you very much for listening and watching tonight. Thank you very much for all of you. Good night.