TRAFFIC JAMS, LONG QUEUES, DELAYS: ARE WE THERE YET?

By Lorenz S. Marasigan

It has been a year since Bautista took office, coming out of the comforts of retirement to help the new government in addressing the transport woes of ordinary Filipinos.

He has been hands-on in tackling the issues in the sector, even going out to experience the daily struggles of an ordinary commuter.

“At the beginning of the new administration, I said the status quo in the transportation sector is unacceptable. We do not accept the traffic, the long queues, the flight delays. We have to change the status quo. That became our mission,” said the Department of Transportation (DOTr) chief.

During his first year, Bautista had to face transport strikes, power outages at the airports, issues on payments on service contracts, rail breakdowns, and even threats to the jobs of maritime workers abroad.

‘Sector with most activity’

THE first year of the new administration was all about enabling each sector to grow by providing the necessary infrastructure to end users, as well as implementing policies to streamline processes.

During this period, Bautista said the DOTr implemented several projects in the rail, road, maritime and aviation sectors, including breaking ground for several projects as well as beefing up some modes of transportation.

He cited projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7, and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 Cavite Extension as examples.

He noted strides made in the implementation of the Bulacan Airport, the start of the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the privatization of at least 10 regional air hubs, the development of active transport infrastructure, and the strengthening of the maritime industry through international recognition.

These, according to Infrawatch Convener Terry Ridon, made the agency busy with work.

The transport sector has seen the most activity in the last year, with flagship infrastructure projects being planned as public-private partnerships, such as the Naia rehabilitation and the Edsa Busway,” Ridon said, adding other developments that Bautista already mentioned.

But, they’re not enough DESPITE these, Ridon believes that the current transport leadership is “weak” when it comes to resolving various controversies besetting the sector.

“The public is expecting a more vibrant and active top-level response to transportation concerns, as the DOTr is one of the government’s most public-facing agencies. It should have taken a more active role in exacting accountability from domestic carriers that have been found to have violated the Air Passenger Bill of Rights and other related airline regulations,” Ridon said.

He also cited “lingering concerns on the fate of traditional jeepneys.”

Move As One Coalition Representative Hyacinth Benadana, a daughter of a long-time jeepney driver, agreed, saying that the public utility vehicle (PUV) sector has yet to see President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s promise of providing players a good life.

Our sector has always been in danger. Marcos campaigned for a good life for the PUV sector. We have yet to receive word on how the government will implement a just transition and there are no strong commitments on the things that the sector could hope for from the administration of Marcos,” she said.

L ast March, public utility jeepneys (PUJs) held a strike against the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP), saying that its provisions were anti-poor and will only favor large corporations.

Bautista promised to sit down with them to discuss how the industry could move forward.

“Marcos’s commitment was to make their lives easier, have a decent livelihood, but until now those promises have yet to be delivered,” Benadana said.

Active transport advocate group AltMobility representative Ira Cruz agreed, saying that even the Local Public Transport Route Plan, more commonly referred to as the Route Rationalization Plan, has yet to be concluded.

The DOTr has set a yearend goal of consolidating PUVs to enable them to gain access to financing through their cooperatives.

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