A COALITION of jeepney drivers and operators challenging the legality of the government’s public transport modernization program is pinning all hope on their lawyer’s last attempt to sway the Supreme Court (SC) to reconsider its decision dismissing their petition.
On Wednesday, the SC En Banc came out with its unanimous decision dismissing the consolidated petitions of three parties seeking to void Transport Department Order (DO) No. 2017-011, which provides for the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
“The petitioners are sad and disappointed. But the battle is not over yet. We are filing a motion for reconsideration (MR),” said Bayyo Association, Inc. lawyer Jose Sonny G. Matula in a Viber message.
Anselmo D. Perweng, Bayyo president, said the SC ruling does not change the fact that the PUVMP’s mandate to replace jeepney units with costlier “environment friendly” vehicles would bury jeepney drivers and operators in debt.
Transportation expert Rene S. Santiago told BusinessWorld via text message that the SC’s denial of the petition does not affect the arguments of the petitioners. “SC dismissed the petition on purely legal grounds, and it is not a trier of facts. The negative impact of PUVMP to jeepney operators has to be established at lower courts,” he said.
Apart from failing to follow the hierarchy of the courts, the petitioners also failed to prove its legal standing as a legitimate association to represent jeepney drivers and operators, the SC said.
There are two other petitions pending before the High Court that seeks to stop the implementation of the PUVMP — one, filed by Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), and the other by filed by seven transport groups led by Pasang Masda. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
