Marcos: No more extension of PUV consolidation deadline

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday announced that there would be no more extension of the application for consolidation of individual public utility vehicle (PUV) operators to form or join transportation cooperatives.

After several extensions, Marcos in late January set the new deadline for the consolidation on April 30, 2024.

''Sa kahuli-hulihan, wala na pong extension 'yung (consolidation). Kailangan na kailangan na natin 'yan," Marcos said during the open forum of the Bagong Pilipinas Town Hall Meeting on Traffic Concerns. 

(In the end, there will be no extension for the consolidation. We really need that.)

"Ang tinitiyak lang namin, hindi na mapabigat pa ang babayaran at iuutang ng driver-operator kaya ginagawa nating maayos at well-organized 'yung sistema na 'yan,'' he added.

(We are ensuring that it will not be a burden to the driver-operator, that's why we established a very good and organized system.)

In January, Marcos approved the Department of Transportation's recommendation to extend the deadline for PUV operators to join or put up transportation cooperatives or corporations until April 30, 2024.

The consolidation is the initial stage of the government's PUV Modernization Program that aims to replace traditional jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution and replace units that were not deemed roadworthy under the standards of the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the extension would "give an opportunity to those who expressed intention to consolidate but did not make the previous cutoff."

Several transport groups have launched a series of protest marches against the program, saying they have lost their jeepney units after their vehicle registrations were transferred to transport cooperatives. —KBK, GMA Integrated News