Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
“He knows the numbers.”
A transportation official came to the defense of the government’s transportation sector initiatives, and insisted that President Marcos was not misinformed on the real situation of the public utility vehicle (PUV)modernization program.
Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) Chairperson Jesus Ortega debunked on Monday, Jan. 15, claims that the President was misled on the real situation on the ground during his meeting with transportation officials in Malacañan in December.
“Nung umupo kami sa harap ng Pangulo, kitang kita po namin sa kanyang demeanor, sa kanyang mata the confidence tungkol sa programa (When we sit in front of the President, we saw in his demeanor, in his eyes the confidence about the program),”Ortega said in a Palace briefing.
Ortega stressed that Marcos knew all about the program in detail, down to the figures.
“He knows the numbers, he knows about the program and he was very confident in saying hindi na tayo mag-eextend (we are no longer extending),” Ortega further said.
“So yung tungkol po na misleading or anything negative, wala po, hindi po yun nangyari. Alam na alam po ng Pangulo ang tungkol sa programa (So about misleading the President or anything negative, it did not happen. The President knows the program very well),” he added.
Ortega was pertaining to the claim made by Manibela President Mar Valbuena, accusing the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and those behind the PUV modernization program of misinforming the President.
It can be recalled that Marcos met with transport officials on Dec. 12 last year amid the nearing deadline of consolidation of PUVs during that time.
It was during the meeting that the President decided not to extend the consolidation as 70 percent of all operators in the country have already complied with the consolidation requirements of the modernization program.
Marcos then said that the government will no longer extend the deadline as it cannot let the minority cause further delays to the program.
Ortega further said that the numbers they presented during the December meeting with the Chief Executive were “transparent.”
“[D]ays before, and even a day before we met the President, updated po yung binigay naming listahan sa kanila (the list that we have presented was updated),” he said.
“Nationwide, per mode, per region po nakalagay po lahat, utos ni Secretary (Jaime) Bautista, we should be transparent in all the information that we have to give at ginawa po namin yun (Nationwide, per mode, per region, it was all stated there. Secretary Bautista ordered that we should be transparent in all the information that we have to give and that is what we did),” he added.
Ortega also said that during that meeting, the President ordered them to help the drivers and cooperatives, and further improved the program as he insisted on not causing any more delay to the program. — Betheena Unite
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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
