A SENIOR legislator on Monday urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to allow more car assemblers or manufacturers to participate in the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) in a bid to bring down the cost of new units.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said by making new units cheaper, operators and drivers will be encouraged to replace their dilapidated buses and jeepneys with environment-friendly Euro-4 compliant units or even electric or e-vehicles (EVs).
Villafuerte also said at a recent committee hearing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) that with the limited number of suppliers or assemblers participating in the PTMP, one problem facing institutions, such as local government units (LGUs), that are interested in participating in the program on a largescale basis, is where to source e-vehicles that are cheaper or more price competitive.
Another problem, he said, is that financing options for public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers under the PTMP are limited to the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
