Getting what we wish for

The popular public utility jeeps (PUJs) will soon be more energy efficient as the country’s jeepney operators and the private sector have teamed up to create this new public utility vehicle (PUV). 

The Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP) and the Philippine Jeepney Operators and Drivers Alliance Foundation (PJODAF), an umbrella organization of PUJ operators and drivers in the country, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of the PUV during a recent vehicle trade show.

The PUV program is aimed at targeting the re-fleeting program of PUJs nationwide to make the existing PUJs powered by surplus diesel engines be compliant to European standards on exhaust emission. It will also fill in the demand for a coaster-type minibus which could be air-conditioned. In the process, all these are expected to modernize the land transportation sector.

“We see this as another opportunity for the Filipinos to prove that they are capable of designing and producing a world-class utility vehicle that would meet the unique needs of the Philippine transport sector. It would also generate more jobs for our member companies now reeling from the effects of the local auto industry sales that have not grown,” said Vigor Mendoza II of PJODAF.

“For us jeepney operators and drivers, we would be glad to operate and drive jeepneys that are Euro-compliant, environment friendly, energy efficient, safe and convenient,” Orlando Marquez Sr., another PJODAF officer, added.

Under the MOU, PJODAF will provide relevant inputs in marketing, financing, product specifications, customer support and feedback. On the other hand, MVPMAP will supply the technical know-how, skills, equipment, manpower and mass production capabilities for all the parts and components needed to locally assemble a PUV that would meet international norms in vehicle production.

MVPMAP is likewise pushing for the creation of the Philippine Electric Vehicle (PEV) which aims to introduce a clean, sustainable and affordable urban mass transport service on a limited travel distance. 

An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle powered by an electric motor and an on-board source of electricity, normally a battery pack.

Its advantages over a conventional internal combustion engine fueled by gasoline are that it consumes power only when in motion, emits no fumes and is very quiet even as it runs, thus there is no wasted fuel in traffic, no air pollution and no noise.