Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to reaffirm the necessity of implementing the Philippine Government’s PUV Modernization Program. Tensions between the national government and jeepney worker unions have been at an all-time high in recent months. The disagreement between the two arises from the disapproval of worker unions of the government’s program, which intends to replace current jeepneys in operation, as they claim it to be too expensive for jeepney drivers and operators. They instead suggest the supposedly more affordable approach of applying filters to the exhausts of jeepneys. This text reviews the government’s claim that the new jeepneys are not only cost-effective when compared to old jeepneys but are less damaging to the environment when compared to using exhaust filters. The text compares the carbon emissions of the new jeepneys’ Euro 4 compliant engines to the old jeepneys’ Euro 2 compliant engines. Additionally, the text also explores the supposed efficiency in areas such as fuel consumption, seat capacity, and maintenance cost that one would incur when using the new jeepneys. Through comparison and analysis, this work aims to inform the general public of how much an improvement the new jeepneys are over the old ones.