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Jeepney phaseout haphazard planning
In January 2018, during the Duterte period, the Department of Transportation tried to fast-track the jeepney phaseout plan, the so-called Transport Modernization Program or TMP, imposing deadlines to complete the phaseout by 2020. By November 2019, DOTr realized it was dreaming, and it finally dropped the plan. You cannot implement such a massive plan in so short a time. Not only was the time frame short, the plan was haphazardly done, with a lot of gaps. Either there was pressure from Malacañang or the DoTr was simply too gung-ho about it. At the time, there were about 300,000 jeepneys nationwide, on which a staggering 1.5 million, at an average of five persons per family, were dependent for their sustenance. Dislocating and rehabilitating such a huge number of drivers for new jobs would have been next to impossible, considering our high unemployment rate. This would have led to a social crisis inviting anarchy and unrest. We are not even talking about thousands of jeepney operators and dozens of affected downstream industries, such as jeepney manufacturers. The first to scream against the obsolescence of the jeepney and the pasaway (undisciplined) jeepney drivers were those who would benefit from the phaseout, namely, the oligarchs and powerful politicians who, in partnership, would take over the mass transport industry. Right now, they are drooling over the perceived windfall. They are planning secretly and organizing lobbies to influence PBBM and the government to implement mass transport modernization with their vested interests in mind. The pressure on PBBM will be so great and they will offer him a piece of the pie. The more he resists, the bigger the slice. The government will be forced to bear the brunt of mass transport modernization, allotting billions, so that the oligarchs and bureaucrats will spend less. Duterte’s TMP planned to replace current polluting jeepney engines with environment-friendly Euro-4 engines used in Europe. Back in 2019, one Euro-4 engine cost a staggering P1.6 million, beyond the reach of most operators. They would have drowned in debt or abandoned their businesses. Only the oligarchs-bureaucrats could afford this and so they would take over. Converting 300,000 jeepneys to Euro-4 would cost a dizzying P447 billion at 2019 prices. (Source: UPLB scientists interviewed). The Euro-4 is good for rich countries, not for poor countries with little capital. Its evolution was so rapid that Euro-1 to Euro-3 became ridiculously obsolete in so short a time. The Euro-4 is probably already obsolete today. The massive undertaking to convert 300,000 jeepneys may take 10 years, but only if the government borrows millions for the thousands of conversions nationwide. Also, imports may be available only in trickles, not considering that the Euro-4 is discontinued or rendered obsolete by newer versions. Let us assume the Euro series is replaced by better, cheaper technologies from China or even locally appropriate technologies. Present operators may need to get big loans. Only the oligarchs-bureaucrats will be ready to take over the mass transport system quickly. The fares of the modernized jeepneys and new hybrid mini-buses may easily reach four to six times the present rates. Commuters ultimately will bear the brunt of modernization. This does not even consider higher gas prices. Marginal commuters will be the ultimate victims. PBBM is in a dilemma. We are not ready for the massive changes and massive dislocations facing our mass transport system. We should have planned these expansions 10 to 20 years ago. PBBM will have to respond to the violent transport strikes brewing not with truncheons but with workable solutions that will address actual needs. He has very little time. PR and propaganda alone cannot contain the storm. The situation is not that hopeless, however. First, we must avoid quick-fix solutions in panic and come up with long-term solutions. Second, solutions should include funds to support our local inventors and manufacturers to avoid dependence on foreign technologies. Third, we must undertake intense research on alternatives to import-oriented modernizations. Removing the omnipresent jeepney completely is impossible for now. We can perhaps partly remove and partly improve the jeepney gradually. We can start by giving loans to operators to gradually replace their aging jeepneys. The key is to go slow. The age of cheap electric jeepneys may just be around the corner. We can perhaps ask Elon Musk or China to fund cheap e-jeepney engine factories here. Import the factories rather than the finished goods. We can retain local jeepney hybrid designs. That would be the perfect solution. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Jeepney phaseout haphazard planning appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Peace is the best form of protection
War means hunger. Armed conflict is a key factor driving food insecurity around the world. Last year, more than 117 million people faced acute hunger primarily because of war and insecurity. This is an outrage. Damage to critical infrastructure hampers food production, blocks distribution and deprives people of safe water: Syria now has 40 percent less drinking water than at the start of the conflict. Fighters destroy crops and steal livestock. Explosives contaminate fertile land. Markets cannot function, and prices rocket. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the rise in the price of food, energy and fertilizer globally, with terrible effects for the world’s poorest. And when conflict combines with the climate crisis, harvests shrink and people go hungry. I saw this for myself during my recent visit to Somalia. After years of war, Somalis have been going through their worst drought in decades. An estimated 43,000 people died as a result in 2022 alone, half of them children, and millions have been forced from their homes. The terrible truth is that the world is failing to live up to its commitments to protect civilians; commitments enshrined in international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols are the cornerstone of that legal framework. We must never lose sight of the meaning and purpose of international humanitarian law: It is the difference between life and death; between restraint and anarchy; between losing ourselves in horror and retaining our humanity. But law overlooked is law undermined. We need action and accountability to ensure it is respected. That depends on political will. Peace is the best form of protection. We must intensify our efforts to prevent conflict, protect civilians, preserve peace and find political solutions to war. Where war continues, all countries must comply with international humanitarian law. Governments should incorporate international humanitarian law into national laws, and military rules and training. Humanitarians must be assured safe access. Attacks against them must cease. And their work must be facilitated, including by removing deadly bureaucratic barriers. It is unconscionable that vital aid languishes in ports and warehouses while people die. Governments with influence over warring parties should engage in political dialogue, and train forces on protecting civilians. And countries that export weapons should refuse to do business with any party that fails to comply with international humanitarian law. Those who commit war crimes must be held to account. States must investigate alleged war crimes, prosecute perpetrators and enhance other States’ capacity to do so. And we must do everything in our power to break the deadly cycle of armed conflict and hunger: Addressing the underlying causes of hunger by strengthening vulnerable countries’ economies; honoring commitments to support countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis; and increasing contributions to humanitarian operations, which are — shamefully — just 15 percent funded. Civilians have suffered the deadly effects of armed conflict for too long. It is time we live up to our promise to protect them. ***** Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, 23 May 2023. The post Peace is the best form of protection appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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