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I am no
fan of the jeepney, that supposed Filipino icon and
example of Filipino engineering and ingenuity which has
been the principal mode of mass transport in our
country.
I
personally believe that the jeepney is not a sustainable
form of mass transport. They can only carry 16 to 18
passengers at any one time. They have mostly secondhand
diesel engines which spew endless toxic fumes into the
environment. They clog the roads with their presence,
stopping and going at will, traffic rules and road
decency be damned. Some jeepney drivers excuse their
brazen driving behavior by saying “they are just trying
to earn a living.” Given that logic, everybody else
driving to and from work can also drive rudely, because,
heck, they are just trying to earn a living also.
What I
do understand, however, is that a lot of families depend
on the earnings that their principal breadwinner, the
jeepney driver, generates. And after much hemming and
hawing, the government, through the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), finally
granted the request of the jeepney and bus operators and
drivers for a much-needed fare increase. They have cited
the escalating price of gasoline and other fuel-based
products as the principal reason for their requested
fare increase.
In Metro
Manila, the jeepney drivers were allowed a fare increase
of P0.50 for the first four kilometers; while regular
buses, P1 for the first five kilometers; and
air-conditioned buses, P1.50 for the first five
kilometers. No increase on the rates for every
succeeding kilometer for both Metro Manila jeepneys and
buses was given, however. The jeepney drivers and
operators were actually asking for a P1.50 increase,
which the LTFRB will continue to hold hearings on.
Why is
the fare increase such a contentious issue? Simply
because it will impact on the millions of the commuting
public in the metropolis that rely on jeepneys and buses
to move them around. Many are students as well as
minimum-wagers who, given the distance from their homes
to their offices, have take-home pays which can only
take them home, or worse, cannot even take them home!
Which
takes us to the ever-increasing prices of fuel and
fuel-based products, which I personally do not monitor
anymore due to their incessant nature. The oil companies
increase their prices at will since they are influenced
by the movements of the fuel prices in the world market.
There is such a high demand for fossil fuel to run
almost everything for the modern person’s creature
comforts and needs. Given the dwindling supply of this
nonrenewable resource, it is understandable why the
prices are escalating at a dizzying pace.
Do check
the bottom line, however, of local oil companies, and,
most likely, most of them are operating profitably with
healthy margins. That is expected, since they can always
adjust their prices (no hearings, no wage boards, no
consultations) and pass them on to the hapless
businesses and consumers. And every time fuel prices
increase, they create a multiplier impact on everything
else.
And
there lies the irony that a P0.50 fare increase for the
jeepney and bus operators and drivers have to go through
hearings and consultations because of their impact on
the riding public. Most drivers live on hand-to-mouth
existence and are not able to adequately provide for the
needs of their families. Contrast that to the cushy
margins that oil companies generate, and you will have
an idea about the imperfections of price adjustments of
certain items in the marketplace.
It is
good that certain fuel subsidies are offered the
drivers, as well as some subsidies from the National
Food Authority are being planned for the purchase of
rice. The drivers will also benefit from the planned
exemption from income tax for those under the
minimum-wage level, which most drivers are. But still,
the regulating body should exhibit more sensitivity to
and compassion for the needs of this marginalized
sector, maybe as much, if not more, than the
market-forces understanding and tolerance they extend to
the oil companies.
And,
while at it, revisit the large-scale use of moving
people through the jeepney and craft certain directions
to move to more efficient modes of transport. We are the
only country in the Asean which employs this contraption
as a form of mass transport, and it hampers efficiency
and effectivity of movement. Of course, we will have to
find ways to train jeepney drivers to acquire other
value-adding skills to make them more productive and
competitive in the work market.
****
The author teaches at the Ramon V. del Rosario Sr.
Graduate School of Business, College of Business and
Economics, De La Salle University-Manila. He welcomes
comments at swatchdlb@yahoo.com. |
