Press Release - Pia: Jeepney modernization a crucial component of PH's sustainability journey

Mr President, just a few points I'd like to raise. I fully support our Chairperson [Senator Sonny Angara] in the difficult decisions he had to make. So I'll just throw in my greetings for the Chairman's hard work. I know very well that he defended to the best of his ability, until the last minute, some amendments that we would have wanted, especially in the education sector, along with our Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education. This really would be the budget that we would have wanted to be included to support our goal of improving the education system, Mr. President. I won't go into details, but I know for a fact that our Chairman worked really hard to try to secure that budget.

And now, just a few quick reactions, Mr President. Maybe at a later time when I get to see the final version in all its details, of course, we are happy that there is a provision in the GAA every year now on sustainable development being incorporated in every project that is funded. But as they say, the devil is in the details. And one of the devils that we see now is precisely in the area that our colleague, Sen. Grace Poe, pointed out.

Transportation has a very big potential in changing lives, from unsustainable modes of transportation to sustainable. And the modernization that her honor, Sen. Grace, is pointing out, is an extremely important component in our journey towards sustainability, Mr President. I don't have to show videos para ma-envision niyo po ang tambutsong itim na naglalabas ng usok na itim sa mga kalye natin. I don't need to show you the numbers because many of you in the hall and our staff, and those watching have children who suffer from pulmonary conditions which are caused by unsafe environmental standards, particularly the lack of clean air. So lahat ito, affected by this modernization program. And unless we really have the political will to ensure that the budget necessary to help the jeepney drivers transition to more modern and sustainable models, ito po yung, and I'd like to put on record, that this is not shifting to an e-vehicle type. Time and again, kapag lumalabas itong topic ng e-jeeps, I always say preserve Filipino culture. Pagawa niyo yan doon