PUBLIC UTILITY VEHICLE MODERNIZATION PROGRAM

AFFIRMATIVE SIDE

PRACTICABILITY:

The time is ripe for the Philippines to free our country of these dinosaurs in our
streets; the very anchors pinning our nations mass transportation system in an
archaic state amidst our rapidly modernizing world. It has been nearly 7 decades
since the inception of the jeepney which we know of and yet, it hasnt undergone any
major changes and does not in any way pass UN vehicular safety standards, says DTI
Assistant Secretary Ernesto Perez (Bacungan & Jiao, 2017). Time capsules from the
early 1950s are roaming our streets, well past its heyday, and is now a ubiquitous
sign of decay in our nation. The truly is ripe for our nation to switch over to a more
modern substitute for our aging transportation system. And yes, ladies and
gentlemen, the Philippines is capable of doing so. Now, ladies and gentlemen, as this
is where I shall enunciate the practicability side.

Revered board of judges, fair moderator, competent debaters, fellow

teammates, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all as you listen closely as I expound
my points.

Resolve that the Philippines modernize its jeepney system! I, the third speaker
of the affirmative side, contend that modernizing our public utility jeepneys is highly
practicable in the Philippines because of the following reasons: (1) the current
jeepneys the roam our nation are major contributors to the worsening pollution in
our atmosphere; (2) the current jeepneys rummaging about for passengers do not
meet any safety standards and are generally unsafe; (3) the jeepneys we have are
highly cost ineffective, demand high maintenance (which it rarely receives) to run in
peak condition, and are inefficient gas-guzzlers; and (4) modernization is highly
feasible based on the modernization plans described by the various government
agencies working together to successfully implement the program.

Before I elucidate my contentions, allow me to share a little bit of how the

jeepney rose to its heyday, and fell into decay as these information will be helpful in
connecting the various dots between my points.
 As the war ended, the US Military left behind a fleet of jeeps, 1942 Willys MBs
and Ford GPWs. There is also a plethora of Willys CJs (Civilian Jeep), civilian versions
of the famous US Military all-around workhorse. They were abundant, and in an effort
to rise the country out from the ashes of war, the Filipinos saw how the jeeps are
blessings. One of the entrepreneurs who saw the future of these machines founded
Sarao Motors, turning these hunk of metal into something that can help our nation,
something that can symbolize the Filipino resiliency (Nicosia, 2007) (Syed, 2013)
(Gamboa, 2017). This went on to become the Philippine icon. It rose into popularity
until the late 20th Century before falling into its inevitable fate of becoming relics of
the past, refusing to cease its duty (Syed, 2013). Now, the streets are infested with
noisy, rattling rust buckets, squeezing every power as they can from their old
secondhand surplus engines discarded from other countries (Gamboa, 2017).

I have rounded up some of the most common vehicles converted into jeepneys
or whose chassis is used as base for a jeepney body. Starting off at the 1942 Willys
MB, Ford GPW, and Willys CJ. Another is the Toyota Tamaraw. Three generations of
these Japanese workhorses were turned into jeepneys. The first generation, which
debuted in 1976; the second generation, produced in 1981; and the third generation,
produced from 1986-1996 (Toyota, 1996). One of the most common in smaller cities,
the Suzuki Carry, known informally as the multicab, also found its way into the
jeepney life. The eight generation (1985) and the ninth generation (1991-1999) of
which are most popular in the country, with petrol engines ranging from a measly
500cc to a relatively small 970cc in capacity, generating 32hp (Suzuki Gazette, 1999),
barely enough to carry tons as a jeepney. In cities, the Isuzu Elf is also a popular choice
among body builders. The third generation (1981) and the fourth generation (1990-
1993) are laid with jeepney bodies. They are fitted with a diesel engine producing
94hp (Truck Buyers Guide, 1994), which is still not powerful enough to carry all the
burden without struggling and wearing out. Also, the Kia Bongo has been given a
jeepney body at some point by body builders. Produced in 1996, their diesel engine
outputs only 88.5hp (Truck Buyers Guide, 1996). Given these figures, it truly puts
into perspective how ancient most of our jeepneys are, and how beat up they are, yet
they somehow still made it on our roads, moving thousands of Filipinos across
distances.
 Now, allow me to lay down my points as to why the nation should modernize
the archaic jeepneys.

First, the Department of Transportation says that jeepneys are the biggest
source of CO2 emissions, causing air pollution (Bacungan & Jiao, 2017). Inquirer.net
says that there are more than 500,000 diesel powered jeepney, buses, trucks, and
other vehicles in Metro Manila alone, responsible for about 70% of total black carbon
emissions in the Philippines (Gamboa, 2017). The ADB estimates that around 5,000
people die yearly from pollution-related illnesses (Syed, 2013). These smoke belching
dinosaurs are in direct violation of and do not meet any of the requirements and
standards of Republic Act 8749, also known as the Philippine Clean Air Act. This is
mainly caused by the lack of proper maintenance of the engines, especially oil
changes, leaving plenty of unwanted mud and grime under the pistons inside its
engine block, coupled with poorly performing parts and an overall inefficient engine
(Juan, 2016). The proposed prototype jeepney is said to be Euro4 emission standard
compliant, along with engine technology with minimal carbon emissions (Bacungan
& Jiao, 2017).

Second, the current jeepney models speeding across our roads and highways
do not strictly comply with any safety standards. The Republic Act 8750 requires
front and rear passengers to wear seatbelts. The ancient designs and models which
we currently have has never changed and did not have safety in mind. The ill-
maintained machines lead to worn out parts and a generally unsafe status. Most
jeepneys have balding tires, loosing grip, misaligned and wobbly wheels, leaking oils,
overheating radiators, and worn out drum brakes (Juan, 2016) (Gamboa, 2017).
Other than this, the parallel seats give no protection during forward crashes. Former
LTFRB Chairman Alberto Suansing says that the rear entrance also poses a risk for a
passenger getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. In fact, they have received complaints
of exactly this occurrence (Bacungan & Jiao, 2017). MMDA reported that 11,157
jeepney accidents happened in the NCR alone in 2016. 44 of which were fatal and
1,922 were nonfatal but still resulted in injuries and damages (Medina, 2017). The
proposed jeepney prototype on the other hand will comply with UN Safety Standards,
Category M2 of the R.E.3, according to DTI Assistant Secretary Ernesto Perez. M2
refers to a vehicular category pertaining to a vehicle with more than an 8-person
capacity and weighs less than 5 tons. R.E.3 is a global framework harmonizing
vehicular production standards, design and safety. Category M2 vehicles must be
equipped with seatbelts, child restraint anchors, head restraints, airbags, speed
limiters, and conform to crash safety standards. 2015 WHO Global Status Report on
Road Safety reported that rear seatbelts reduced the risk for fatal and serious injuries
by 25% and minor injuries by 75% (Bacungan & Jiao, 2017).

Thirdly, our nations jeepneys are highly cost ineffective. They demand high and
expensive maintenance standards to be running in peak condition yet it rarely
receives the maintenance it seeks because the driver has to scrape together as much
income as he can, though very little. Because of the lack of maintenance, it results in
being inefficient on the road (Juan, 2016). The economy of the jeepney is ruled by the
Boundary System, wherein on average, the drivers have to pay the jeepney
owner/operator 1,000 (GMANews, 2014) daily (boundary). The remaining money
they gathered from their trip, minus the amount paid to refuel, shall be their daily
savings. The average driver earns up to 500 a day and only 8,000 a month, because
not every driver can travel 7 times a week (GMANews, 2014) (Juan, 2016). According
to a 2017 study by Clean Air Asia, jeepneys travel an average distance of 193.32km a
day, equating to 70,561.8km a year or 1,058,427km in 15 years. In a 2014 study
conducted by Hunter on car maintenance costs, stated that a 15 year old car, on
average, would cost $40 (2,046) on regular maintenance to achieve peak condition,
given that it has travelled more than 150,000 miles (241,402 km). Well above the
reach of the average jeepney operator. On average, a brand new car that has travelled
the same distance would cost $15 (765.25) regular maintenance, but no jeepney can
travel that distance in well under one year. With this in mind, over 75% of the
jeepneys in operation in the country are well over 15 years old (Bacungan & Jiao,
2017) (Magkilat, 2017).

Lastly, the modernization of the Kings of the Road is extremely within reach
of the Philippine government. The phasing out of jeepneys over 15 years of age (which
is most of the population) is all planned out by the government and its agencies.
Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M. Lopez states that a brand new
modernized jeepney will cost less than 1 million per unit, somewhere around
800,000. Considering the profit for selling the old jeepneys or even scrapping them,
the purchase of a new jeep will be well worth it in the long run, considering the
significantly lower maintenance cost and fuel consumption. The Department of
Finance estimates that the program will run over a 5 year period and will reach 400
billion. Financing will be extended by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)
and the Land Bank of the Philippines, payable 7 years. 90% of the loan from DBP will
go into the program while the remaining 10% will go under the Lending Program,
where the DOF said that the government will actually subsidize the equity of the
jeepney drivers for assistance. In as much, 95% of the loan from the Land Bank of the
Philippines will go to the modernization program while the remaining 5% will go to
the lending program. More financing will be taken from the additional revenues
generated from the Tax Reform Program. The Board of Investments will extend
assistance by tapping into the $200 Million remaining allocation for the
Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) Program, a program for the
local automotive and parts manufacturing plants for investors (gov.ph) (Magkilat,
2017). According to the DTI, the program is expected to create 200,000 jobs and rake
in an estimated 27 billion investments. The carmakers are expected to produce
33,000 cars a year. (Bacungan & Jiao, 2017). The manufacturing and assembly of the
new Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) will be strictly reserved to Filipino motor vehicle
plants. The BOI will be in charge of accrediting the local participants which
requirements may include track record, access to technology from supplier for major
parts such as power train, body, peripherals and global positioning system. They will
be given a 3 year rollout period to produce the new PUVs (Magkilat, 2017).