Owners of the Philippines’ iconic passenger jeepney, once regarded as “King of the Road,” would soon be forced to sell their old vehicles to state-accredited scrapping companies in exchange for P20,000 to P30, 000 as part of the government’s transport modernization program.

Mark De leon, Transportation Assistant Secretary For Road Transport and Infrastructure, said 170,000 units would be scrapped by 2020.

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“Kailangan nating tanggalin ‘yun sa kalsada (We need to get these vehicles off the roads),” De Leon told reporters after the weekly economic forum in Malacañang on Wednesday.

De Leon said jeepney owners would receive P80,000 as subsidy to modernize their units.

“Binigyan kayo ng P80,000 ng gobyerno, subsidy, tapos papatakbuhin mo pa rin yung lumang unit? Binigyan ka na nga ng bagong unit ng gobyerno, you’re running the old unit kailangan natin tanggalin sa kalsada (The government will give you P80,000 as subsidy, then you’ll still drive your old units? We need to get those off the roads),” he said.

The transport official said the government would be accrediting companies that could handle the jeepneys that would be junked.

“We will be accrediting mga scrapping companies. So i-scrap nila tapos makukuha nila ang scrap value (We will be accrediting companies that will scrap these jeepneys and get the scrap value),” he said.

“We are looking at P20,000 to P30,000 [scrap value],” he said.

He said jeepney owners and operators would be forced to junk their units as the government is keen to push the jeepney modernization program through. /ee

READ: Duterte to jeepney drivers: Modernize or else…

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