Poe urges DOTr to suspend PUV Modernization Program amid corruption allegations

Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday called on the Department of Transportation to suspend the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program or PUVMP amid the alleged corruption in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, said that the implementation of the PUVMP should be postponed until "all issues hounding it are resolved."

"We want to modernize our PUVs, but it should be one that is progressive, just and humane," she said in a statement.

"The PUVMP cannot move forward because of various issues, yet it is being tainted by corruption now," she added.

She issued the statement a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.

Guadiz's former executive assistant, Jeff Gallos Tumbado, accused him of corrupt practices in the agency, which led to his suspension.

If the allegations are true, Poe said that was "unfair" for jeepney drivers who will lose their livelihood due to the "lagayan" or bribing system in the agency.

"Erring officials must be held accountable for bungling a very critical program of the transport sector," she said.

She expressed hope that the ongoing investigation against those involved won't prevent the prioritization of the modernization program, which she said will improve drivers' livelihood and services for commuters.