TRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime Bautista has insisted that the overall impact of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) has been overwhelmingly positive and that stopping the program would be a waste of investment.

"We remain committed to refining the Program to better meet the needs of our stakeholders," Bautista said amid calls by senators to temporarily suspend the implementation of the PTMP, adding that halting the program would be a waste of investments.

He said the Department of Transportation (DoTr) has been actively addressing some issues through ongoing review and consultations.

The transportation chief sent Senate President Francis Escudero a 101-page letter, including attachments, dated July 29, days before 22 senators signed Senate Resolution 1096 filed by Sen. Raffy Tulfo.

Bautista said DoTr shares the Senate Committee on Public Services' focus on enhancing public welfare and that continuing the PTMP "aligns with our common goal of benefiting the community and advancing public welfare."

But he said that "suspending PTMP at this stage of its implementation could disrupt services for many who depend on its benefits."

"This could undermine progress and damage relationships with stakeholders, particularly given that a significant percentage has already consolidated," said Bautista.

In 2024, the government appropriated P1.6 billion for the program, with a utilization rate of 53 percent of the total P7.5-billion budget from 2018 to 2024.

"Suspending the program now risks wasting these investments and incurring additional costs to reestablish similar initiatives in the future," said Bautista.

Based on the DoTr data, as of April 30, 2024, there are 6,090 consolidated routes. Out of 1,574 local government units nationwide, 71 percent have submitted their draft Local Public Transport Route Plan for DoTr/Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board review and approval.

On the other hand, as of July 17, 2024, 11,165 Philippine National Standards-compliant modern jeepneys/vehicles are operating nationwide; 80 modern PUV models are offered by 28 manufacturers/assemblers, of which 58 percent are locally assembled by 16 manufacturers.

As of April 30, 2024, nationwide consolidation reached 83.38 percent; the Office of Transport Cooperatives has accredited 1,781 cooperatives with 262,870 members.

A total of 42,352 beneficiaries received social support from the Program's Tsuper Iskolar Program (Tesda training), while 10,867 beneficiaries benefited from the EnTSUPERneur Program (livelihood package).

The program's last component — Vehicle Useful Life — establishes a long-term vehicle scrappage process, wherein the government will purchase the old jeepney units from operators for a fixed and attractive price to help them finance the acquisition of new units.