A TRANSPORT group based in Mountain Province appealed before the Supreme Court the rejection of its petition against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

On Tuesday, the Bayyo Association, consisting of Igorot drivers and operators hailing from Bayyo, Mountain Province, said it is making a "renewed appeal" for the petition.

"Our call for reconsideration is rooted in the direct adverse effects the phase-out of traditional jeepneys is having on us, drivers and operators, as government clearly failed in creating a just and equitable transition mechanism," said Bayyo Association President Anselmo Perweg in a statement.

"We will be faced with the daunting prospect of significant debt from mandatory vehicle upgrades — with loans potentially reaching up to P2 million — members of the Bayyo Association are at risk of financial peril," he added.

Perweg filed their motion for reconsideration before the high court at 1 p.m. on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Federation of Free Workers president Sonny Matula, who also serves as the group's legal counsel.

Perweg cited the protests made by transport groups like Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) and Manibela, that are also opposing the PUVMP.

Under the PUVMP, jeepney drivers and operators have until April 30 to organize into cooperatives or corporations to ensure the efficiency of its operations with an upgraded fleet of low-carbon emission, safe and efficient units.

Unconsolidated PUVs in routes with at least 60 percent of units that consolidated would no longer be able to renew their provisional authorities to operate.

"The backdrop of ongoing transport strikes led by groups such as Piston and Manibela underscores the urgency and breadth of the issue at hand. These protests, calling for the suspension of the PUV Modernization Program, have prompted President [Ferdinand] Marcos [Jr.] to pledge a review of the initiative, focusing on the critical concerns around the consolidation of drivers and operators," Perweg said.

"Despite these assurances and the setting of multiple deadlines — the most imminent being April 30 — there has yet to be any tangible action to mitigate the program's perceived confiscatory effects," he added.

In a previous phone interview with The Manila Times, Piston national president Mody Floranda said they are awaiting the status of their two petitions against the PUVMP, which they also filed at the Supreme Court in December 2023.

On July 11, 2023, the high court dismissed Bayyo's petition, but it was only made public earlier this month.

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