Majority of the public utility vehicles (PUVs) have supported the decision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. not to extend consolidation, according to Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) Chairman Jesus Ortega.

In an interview, Ortega said that President Marcos initially listened to the request of the cooperatives to extend the consolidation in March 2023, but emphasized that the President made a firm decision not to extend the deadline in December last year.

“Nung nag-extend po ‘yung ating Pangulo nung Marso, si President Marcos. Ginawa po niya ‘yun para pagbigyan muli ang mga nagtatanong—being new, one year pa lang siya nun. That was a good move on the part of the President to say ‘I am listening to you’,” Ortega said.

“Pero nung nag-decide naman siya nung December 12 na firm na, nag-decide rin s’ya, nakinig rin s’ya sa majority,” he added, referring to the majority of the cooperatives who supported President Marcos’ decision not to extend the consolidation.

In another development, Ortega also clarified that the reported PhP50.00 fare in modern jeepneys has no basis as he emphasized that the government cannot immediately implement fare matrix movement without proper consultations.

“Ngayon po sinasabi nila magiging singkwenta after five years, with due respect sa kanila, there is no basis for that at masakit po na magsabi ng mga bagay na nakakatakot na walang katotohanan,” Ortega when asked about the supposed PhP50.00 fare increase on modern jeepneys.

He emphasized that the government has retained the two-peso fare matrix difference between traditional and modern jeepneys, which means that the current fare for modern jeepney is still at PhP15.00, which is two pesos higher than traditional jeepneys at PhP13.00.

Ortega added that fuel price hike dictates fare increase and not due to modernization of jeepneys.

He also reiterated that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will hold hearings and meetings and will coordinate with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) before coming up with any decision on fare increases.

He also clarified that the cooperatives of modern vehicles are contented with the two-peso fare difference given to them years ago. PND