By Ermin Garcia Jr

 

THE government’s modernization plan for the jeepneys will likely fail if some major policies are not changed soon.

This will be realized in 3-5 years when most, if not all, of the cooperatives will be unable to continue paying their monthly amortizations for their members’ modern units.

The problem lies in the contradicting regulations imposed by government on jeepney owners.

I refer to the government’s imposition of amortization rates on cooperatives for the purchase of modern jeepneys on members while regulating fare increases.

ISSUE: There is no way the new jeepney owners can pay the high costs of the units for as long as the fares are regulated based on commuters’ capabilities to pay, not on fares that can support jeepney owners’ operations that can enable them to earn for themselves while meeting their financial obligations created by the program.

The situation is akin to seeing basic salaried employees buying brand new cars through bank financing. For as long as the employees do not earn enough to sustain family needs, they cannot be expected to keep paying banks their monthly installments. This is the reason why many vehicles are simply repossessed by the banks.

Will this happen to the modernization plan? If so, will the government simply allow the banks ending up with repossessed modern jeepneys and leave the franchises for routes issued by LFTRB unserved? Or will government end up providing additional cash subsidies to enable jeepney cooperatives to comply with their amortizations? Or will government organize new cooperatives to operate repossessed units?

Either way one looks at the three scenarios, it’s obvious the program will likely fail with the government holding the proverbial empty bag.

Question: Will the jeepney owners who formed the cooperatives that collapsed be compensated after their units are repossessed?

*          *          *          *

THE WORST IS YET TO HAPPEN. The La Niña phenomenon is at the province’s doorstep and while other provincial governments are already drafting comprehensive flood management plans as a ready contingency, our farmers and homeowners have yet to hear of emergency plans from the provincial government.

The Guico administration has in its possession empirical data of past typhoons that inundated towns and cities, barangays and farmlands whose damages reached hundreds of millions within days, that not only rendered government services ineffectual but left families homeless and hungry.

Coping with the impact of the El Niño was the easy part.  But the worst can be expected from La Niña accompanied by typhoons and endless rainfall for weeks.

Both Guv Mon-mon and VG Mark should start asking questions about lessons learned in the past and start directing funds and resources to meet the contingencies.

*          *          *          *

7 EPALIFES’ FOOT-IN-MOUTH DISEASE. Are the 7 epaLiFes in Dagupan City aware that their unvetted decisions and statements are consistently making them look stupid as public servants?

They demonstrated this again for the nth time when they tried to justify the passing of only two main items (payment of benefits to employees and support for SK) in the supplementary budget submitted to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for approval.

They contradicted themselves, from head to toe, by invoking their evaluation of the two main items as “priority”.  It was a classic foot-in-mouth disease! How could they say it was a “priority” when it was submitted to them two years ago? Not a single word was added or changed in those items that they rejected for two years!! Suddenly, they woke up and realized the two are a priority?

It doesn’t take a lot of commons sense to see that a high sense of “priority” for the two just dawned on them that it will be the city hall beneficiaries and the SK membership that will deliver the votes that will make them continue wielding power in the city. “Kaya, dapat priority sila.”

Gosh, they honestly believed that passing the two items after two years as “priority” will make them the “heroes” that the city “badly needs” even if they declare the other programs are not priority needs of the citizenry. Let’s call it the “barkada” way.

They must really think that Dagupeños are like them – unthinking and ignorant. Clearly, they misread their election in last 2022 elections as evidence of the “unthinking and uneducated” electorate. Tsk-Tsk.

But I still look forward to the day they finally sound and look sensible… for their sake!

*          *          *          *

PAGING PBBM. The successful mission carried out by the ‘Atin ito’ sea caravan can also be deemed as a successful strategy of the Chinese government as well. It prevented being labeled as “bullies” by the western media that joined the caravan.

In a way, we can call it a win-win situation. But don’t let that single successful mission blind you in believing that the conflict is resolved.  We won! 

Far from it.

The China government simply patiently played the game that we enthusiastically played before the western media.

Expect the China Coast Guard to maintain its position in the WPS and the PH government complaining about it, both resuming their word war with saber rattling becoming louder by the day.

There is only one way to end this “no-win” for both countries. And PBBM knows what it is.

In 2015, PBBM then as an independent senator, advised PRRD to seek a dialogue with China in order to stoop the worsening situation in the disputed area.

Let’s see and hear him practice what he preaches for the sake at least of our fisherfoks.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments