Did the government, through the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, blink right at the start of the three-day strike mounted by a group of transport operators who want to keep their smoke-belching and dilapidated jeepneys on the road?

On Monday, the LTFRB issued a statement saying it was amenable to offering a five-year franchise to the striking jeepney operators even before it met with their group, the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide or PISTON, later in the day.

According to LTFRB Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III, the board is willing to go beyond the one-year provisional authority given to jeepney operators who have embraced the government's Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program or PUVMP.

Guadiz has just been reinstated to his post after a former aide apologized and backtracked on the corruption allegations he made against him. Is the LTFRB chief trying to be Solomonic at the expense of the government, appearing to have become a softie and a pushover?

"That area that we can talk about, their five-year franchise, we are willing to sit down with them and agree to that," said Guadiz in a mix of Filipino and English.

The LTFRB has been saying that 70 percent of transport operators have already joined the government's PUVMP with a one-year provisional authority to continue operating traditional jeepneys past the 31 December 2023 deadline for the consolidation process. 

Guadiz explained that the moment the striking drivers and operators join the modernization program, the LTFRB may give them the five-year transitional franchise they are asking for.

If the LTFRB would give the protesters five extra years in which to modernize, what would stop those who have already enrolled in the program but have yet to procure modern units from also asking for a half-decade grace period?

The LTFRB may be creating a bigger problem than it is providing a solution for (the strike) with this offer. Pushing the PUVMP back five years may just result in the program losing steam and eventually being put on the back burner once a new administration comes in.

Coming to mind here is the mañana attitude of Filipinos dating back to the Spanish period, a habit which translates to mam'ya na in Tagalog or "for later" in English. This runs counter to the adage that what one can do today should not be deferred for tomorrow.

PISTON had warned last week that the franchise consolidation scheme may result in big fleet operators or companies monopolizing or controlling PUV routes because they have the capital to buy the modern alternatives to the traditional jeepneys.

This may be a valid concern that the group raised as modern jeepneys, which look more like mini buses than that contraption adopted from the World War 2-era jeep, cost from P1.5 million to P3 million.

While the government has been subsidizing the cost of modern jeepneys (by as much as P260,000 per unit), the cost for individual operators may still prove too prohibitive.

Nonetheless, the LTFRB cannot be faulted for talking with the protesters because hardline stances do not solve issues. Just the same, the government should not be held hostage by protesting groups. Its policies must give more weight to what's good for the general public and not what a noisy few are demanding.

Modernization, as in any change, entails a paradigm shift, and the people, as well as the government, must not be afraid of the so-called birth pains that accompany the march to progress.

Traditional jeepneys, the so-called Kings of the Road, must go since most are poorly maintained, thereby endangering the riding public and pedestrians. They are also powered by old diesel engines — not the Euro standard compliant ones — thus they spew toxic emissions into the environment.

Adopting cleaner running, ecologically friendly vehicles should help the Philippines reduce its carbon footprint, improve the air quality and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Modernizing public transportation should also boost economic efficiency as more passengers are transported at the least cost to commuters and PUV operators alike.

Looking at the bigger picture, the benefits of modernization should outweigh the expenditures and adoption challenges that, when surpassed, would eventually benefit all Filipinos.