Nanawagan si House Ways and Means Committee Chair Joey Salceda sa pamahalaan na pababain pa ang presyo ng modern jeep.
Ayon kay Salceda kung maibaba sa P600,000 ang kada unit ng modern jeep mula sa kasalukuyang ₱2 million ay mas magiging “viable” ito para sa mga jeepney driver at operator.
Kasabay nito ay dapat din isulong ang local manufacturing ng modern jeep.
Paliwanag ng mambabatas kung local manufacturers ang bubuo ng modern jeep at ang halaga nito ay hindi hihigit sa ₱1 million ay aabutin lang ng pitong taon ang return of investment, mas maikli sa 22 years kung ipapako sa ₱2 million ang halaga ng modern jeep.
“The government should first ensure that the domestic jeepney manufacturing sector is an option for the PUV (Public Utility Vehicle) modernization program, and assist it in producing cheaper but similarly modern and efficient units. If we can bring the cost of the unit to ₱600,000 to ₱1 million, that becomes more realistic for both the jeepney operator, and on a cost-benefit basis. I think the domestic manufacturing sector can do it. But we need to support them,” saad ni Salceda.
Ipinunto pa ng economist solon na kailangan ikonsidera ang emissions ng modern jeep sa pamamagitan ng per capita basis
Aniya ang traditional na jeep ay nagpo-produce ng 0.33 kg ng carbon emission kada pasahero kada taon, habang ang modern jeep ay mayroong 0.25kg kada pasahero dahil sa mas maliit na kapasidad.
“It’s a 31 percent saving in per passenger emissions for a vehicle that costs as much as 620 percent more. We need a cheaper, domestically manufactured jeepney that modernizes the traditional one,” paliwanag ng mambabatas. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
