The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed the Land Transportation Franchising
and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DoTr) for
bungling the service contracting program. “Service contracting is a great idea
but the LTFRB and DoTr bungled its implementation. Similar to the Department of
Health (DOH), bad governance, if not massive corruption, attended its execution,”
stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.
Yesterday the LTFRB released a statement belying the Commission on Audit
report that only 1% of the funds for service contracting was released to
beneficiary drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs). The LTFRB declared that
P1.5 billion out of the P5.56 billion service contracting budget under Bayanihan
2 was disbursed.
“If that is true then only 25% of service contracting funds reached
50,000 drivers nationwide. There are already 120,000 transport workers in NCR
alone, a conservative estimate based on one worker per PUV. The rest of the funds
has been returned to the treasury without benefiting hundreds of thousands of needy
and hungry transport workers. This is no different from hospital workers who
decried the DOH for not granting hazard pay and benefits to deserving health
care workers,” Magtubo added.
Ross Natividad, president of the Yellow Bus Line Employees Union
(YBLEU), called on the LTFRB to shape up and respond to the demands of transport
workers. YBL plies the South Cotabato to Davao route Mindanao. “It pains us to
hear there are billions in funds that have not reached transport workers who
are needy and hungry. YBL drivers, conductors, dispatchers and mechanics are
becoming desperate since most of them had no regular income for more than a
year already,” Natividad said.
He explained that the LTFRB contracted YBL for only two months of “libreng
sakay” for APORs and HCWs from May to June 2021. “This was for only 14 buses
then 48 buses but YBL has 190 units in total. Thus a majority of YBL workers did
not benefit. Still, many of those who were lucky to be onboarded have not
received their payouts,” Natividad explained.
He demanded that “We call on the LTFRB and DoTr to exercise tripartism
and social dialogue so that it hears the concerns of workers. Only drivers were
considered beneficiaries while conductors and other bus workers were not. The
union had to negotiate with the company so that conductors can also work under
service contracting and receive pay.”
Magtubo averred that “Service contracting must be rebooted. It should go
beyond ayuda and libreng sakay as is being implemented now. Service contracting
under the PUV Modernization program is a mechanism to formalize and improve the
transport industry so that we have sustainable and livable cities. Through service
contracting, government ensures the delivery of safe, comfortable and efficient
public transport by engaging jeepney cooperatives and bus companies on long-term
contracts and mandating regular employment with social protection for transport
workers.”
August 19, 2021
