Jayson starts preparing to leave his home in Bagong Silang, Caloocan for his work as a jeepney driver in Quezon City. He usually arrives at the Kanlaon terminal near Welcome Rotonda at around five with his motorcycle.
Sitting behind the wheel, he turns the engine on once the jeepney is filled. The stick shifts to first gear and thus begins his day’s work: helping passengers move from one point to another.
The route of Jayson’s jeepney begins from Kanlaon Street to Mayon Street, passing by Del Monte Avenue until Andres Bonifacio Avenue.
Once Jayson reaches the end of the route, he parks his jeepney in another terminal and waits for passengers once again. He returns to Kanlaon by tracing back the route he has been driving for 12 years.
“Pila lang nang pila. Pila doon sa kabila, naghihintay lang. Pila sa magkabilang dulo,” he describes to Young STAR.
Jayson adds that while he sometimes drives for the entire day, he more often only works for half of it: if he begins by 5 a.m., he switches off the engine past lunchtime. If he starts in the afternoon, his work ends at around 9 p.m.
By the end of his shift, Jayson comes home with an income of around P1,000, which he says is “not enough” for his family of five. He tries to make it work, especially since his two children are still at the ages of two and four.
According to the IBON Foundation, about P1,197 is the standard family living wage for five members.
Jayson is only one of the thousands of jeepney drivers in the Philippines. It has been their livelihood for years, and it is now at stake amid the government’s recent jeepney modernization program.
‘This is our livelihood’
Following several extensions, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) finalized April 30 as the last deadline for jeepneys to join the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
However, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III provided a 15-day leeway for jeepneys before their franchises get revoked, which would lead to traditional vehicles getting impounded.
Jeepney drivers and operators who fail to consolidate may face penalties of up to P50,000 and a one-year suspension for drivers. Their jeepneys will also be brought to an impounding facility.
According to the Bayyo Association, an estimated 38,000 jeepney drivers will be affected by the modernization program.
The consolidation terms set out by the LTFRB have caused transportation organizations to call for several strikes since 2023. The most prevalent organizations to have spearheaded the strikes are Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) and Manibela.
Teody Permejo from PISTON tells Young STAR that the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines by the LTFRB were unfair because they don not align with the interests of the jeepney drivers and operators.
He adds that purchasing a new jeepney model, vernacularly known as the “modern jeepney,” is too expensive. Several jeepney drivers have raised the same concerns, citing the lack of funds to purchase a new public utility vehicle.
Cooperatives may be provided bank financing and a government subsidy for the imported modern jeepneys, which may cost about P2.8 million each. However, the jeepney drivers collectively worried that this may burden them with debt, on top of already worrying about the increasing fuel prices and other living expenses.
“Kung talagang gusto nilang tumulong sa mga operator at sa taong bayan, sana hindi konsolidasyon (ang isulong na solusyon) kasi ito ay pagkuha ng aming kabuhayan,” Teody says.
“Hinahanap pa rin namin kung nasaan ang hustisya,” he adds. “Nasaan ba yung patas?”
PISTON, alongside Bayan Muna Party, recently filed a temporary restraining order (TRO) before the Supreme Court (SC) against the modernization program by the LTFRB.
Prior to this, transport groups had filed a similar petition to the SC last December, but it was denied last March.
Carlos (not his real name), who has been a jeepney driver for around 40 years, says the policies imposed by the LTFRB are unfair.
“Bakit gano'n, dinidiktahan ‘yung mga maralitang tao kagaya namin? Dictatorship na ‘yun eh,” he tells Young STAR in his parked vehicle at the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
Although he decided not to join any rallies against the modernization program, Carlos says he sympathizes with the groups and understands why there had been several strikes in the past.
Amid the legal struggle with the state, these jeepney drivers and operators fear erasure — they fear there will no longer be any traditional jeepneys in the future.
Marisa Figueroa of PISTON Women likens the absence of jeepneys to what happened in the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, citing the difficulty commuters faced amid the lack of transportation at the time.
Labor groups have also shown solidarity with transport groups by expressing disapproval of the consolidation program. One of the labor groups is the Federation of Free Workers (FFW), led by Atty. Sonny Matula.
In a statement, Matula questioned the constitutionality of the “forced consolidation.”
“It is a violation of the right to freedom of association and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that no one can be forced to associate or be a member of an organization,” FFW said.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) have also expressed support of several transport strikes in the past, citing the importance of public transport and the rights of jeepney drivers.
Owing it to the jeepneys
While this consolidation program has come at the expense of jeepney drivers, the effects have also been apparent to commuters who rely on the traditional vehicles for their daily movements.
Marisa of PISTON Women adds that the effects of the modernization program will likely affect students more.
Lila, a recent college graduate, recalls her life commuting from Caloocan to Manila since junior high school. “Jeepneys were essential in my life as a student kasi sila ‘yung pinaka-available sa mornings especially when my classes were as early as 7 a.m.”
She remembers that the cheapest fare then was P7, significantly lower than today’s regular fare of P13.
Morphius and Ryan, senior high school students in a Pasay school, say jeepneys are more “affordable” for students.
Reflecting on the increased costs, Lila says, “I honestly can't believe that it skyrocketed as fast as it did tapos ‘di pa (napupunta) sa mga naghahatid sa’tin sa school.”
She has also noticed that the number of jeepneys has decreased in her area and that the waiting time to get a ride is longer. As a result, Lila resorts to using motorcycle taxis.
Consequently, she has decided to look for work-from-home jobs to avoid higher expenses on transportation.
Lila says she understands the agenda set by the modernization program, but it should not be “at the cost of very hardworking and essential stakeholders.”
“These people (drivers and operators) deserve better policies,” she added.
The recent graduate attributes her academic career to the jeepney drivers. “We stand on the shoulders of giants, and one of those shoulders is (the drivers) na naghahatid sa’tin sa eskwelahan.”
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Produced by Andrea Panaligan
Photos by Alexander P. Flores