Transport groups hail Chavit’s Senate run

Various transport groups yesterday hitched their wagons to the senatorial bid of former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson who filed his Certificate of candidacy (CoC) at the Manila Hotel dressed to the nines in a blazing red outfit.

Members of the so-called Magnificent 7 jeepney driver and operator groups gave Singson a rousing welcome at the Commission on Elections’ Tent City, venue of the CoC filing for bets vying for national posts.

Singson champions the modernization of public utility vehicles (PUVs) but without the heavy financial burden placed on drivers and operators.

The Magnificent 7 is composed of Pasang Masda, the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, and the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines.

“We are expressing our support for Manong Chavit as our candidate — someone who has a word of honor. When he says something, he does it,” LTOP national president Orlando Marquez told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Marquez said they have complete faith in Singson’s plan to develop the country’s public transport system that is bedeviled by heavy traffic and smoke-belching death traps on wheels.

“We are propping up a candidate who can really help us,” he added.

An Asian Development Bank Study showed that in 2017, the economy lost P3.5 billion each day due to traffic jams, with a projection that economic losses would eventually hit P5 billion daily.

With the government determined to push through with the much delayed PUV Modernization Program, Singson has been trying to source affordable vehicles compliant with the new government standards.

PUV drivers and operators complain they could not possibly afford the modern alternatives to their jeepneys which cost about P3 million each.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who on Monday filed his CoC for mayor of Davao City, had voiced support for Singson’s senatorial run.

Singson said he was awed by the support coming his way, especially from the transport sector.

“I will provide all electric vehicles: electric jeepneys, electric tricycles — without any down payment, with zero interest,” Singson said.

“My factory from South Korea, worth P500 million, is arriving soon, and we will begin mass production by December or January,” he added.The PUVMP favors EVs and Euro-compliant petrol engines.

For members of the Magnificent 7, their primary goal is to be provided with the funds to help them continue plying their routes as “carriers of workers who pump-prime the economy.”

Marquez said they see Singson not only helping them procure PUVMP-compliant vehicles, but also one who would take care of their other needs like putting food on the table.