The Jeepney Modernization Program must be completed.

As people who spent the majority of our childhoods riding jeepneys, it can be difficult to say goodbye to the old jeepneys and embrace the new. However, not all jeepney drivers can afford to update their vehicles; some refuse to accept change, while others lack the funds.

Transport groups have threatened to stage a weeklong transport strike if the jeepney modernization program is not canceled. To offset the cost of the new jeepneys, low-interest loans and subsidies are being offered by the Land Bank and LTFRB.

Jeepney owners and operators have been resistant to the modernization program, citing the high cost of the proposed replacement vehicles and the potential harm to livelihoods. The trigger for the latest threat of a transport strike was an announcement by the LTFRB last week that the franchises for non-upgraded jeepneys would be revoked at the end of March, although this was adjusted to the end of April for Metro Manila.

The LTFRB is firm about implementing the deadline on schedule, and has remained consistent in its position that ample time and financial assistance has been made available to jeepney owners. However, lawmakers from both the House and the Senate have called for hearings, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has suggested that a different way to implement the program may have to be found.

The modernization program will result in a more efficient, cost-effective and safer transportation system, but it is also a major adjustment to their accustomed work and a burdensome upfront cost.

The most important idea is that any program that has the potential to cause significant disruption should be treated with care and reevaluated, and that activist jeepney operators should reflect on whether the threat of a strike is the most effective way to make their concerns heard.