Jeepney Modernization Program: Agencies and Constraints of Informal Transport Sector in Cebu City, Philippines

Authors

Katrina Lerner A. Rapada, College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines, Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lohng, Cebu City 6000, PhilippinesFollow
Herald Shalom R. Vallente, College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines, Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lohng, Cebu City 6000, PhilippinesFollow
Givens Marie U. Canoy, College of Social Sciences, University of the Philippines, Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lohng, Cebu City 6000, PhilippinesFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In the quest to provide a better public transportation system in the Philippines, the government has implemented Department Order 2017-011, the major basis for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which requires single jeepney operators to join transport cooperatives and limits jeepneys not older than 15 years to operate. However, up to the present, this policy initiative has yet to improve Cebu City's public transport system significantly, and it has already created various forms of exclusion. Anchored on Mayer’s (2014) theory on the problems of collective action and Mosca’s (1939) elite theory, this study assesses the collective agencies of jeepney drivers and operators in Cebu City and the constraints of such agencies in negotiating and shaping policy enforcement of the jeepney modernization program. This study utilizes a qualitative case study design incorporating secondary data with face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. It illustrates that the combination of the informality of the jeepney transport sector in the country, the prevailing fragmentation within the sector - including divergent views and interests between traditional jeepney drivers and operators and their heterogeneities, and the discordant stances among different transport groups toward implementation vis-a-vis private sector-led groups - constitute as critical factors in constraining the agency of affected stakeholders in their attempts at resistance and collective negotiation actions. It argues that the agency of drivers and operators is effectively overwhelmed by such a lack of coherence and consistent deliberative approaches among its representatives in their negotiations with state institutions, which are bent on advancing neoliberal solutions to urban transport systems. This poses severe implications for what should have been a just transition for the grassroots sector in promoting sustainability.

Recommended Citation

Rapada, Katrina Lerner A.; Vallente, Herald Shalom R.; and Canoy, Givens Marie U. (2025) "Jeepney Modernization Program: Agencies and Constraints of Informal Transport Sector in Cebu City, Philippines," Journal of Global Awareness: Vol. 6: No. 1, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholar.stjohns.edu/jga/vol6/iss1/8