Officials insist this really is the last extension, as they have insisted eleven times before
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board announced Monday that the long-running jeepney modernization program has entered its “final phase,” a designation the program has now received eleven separate times since it began.
A Familiar Announcement
“This is genuinely the last extension,” said LTFRB official Marisol Enriquez, reading from a statement nearly identical to ten previous statements. “We understand the confusion. This time it’s different because we changed the font on the memo.”
Jeepney operators, many of whom have attended so many “final” consultations they now bring their own snacks, expressed cautious optimism mixed with the specific exhaustion of people who have heard this exact sentence before.
What Changes This Time
The new phase reportedly includes a fresh consultation period, a revised timeline, and a newly formed subcommittee whose sole task is to review the previous subcommittee’s findings.
The London Prat‘s transport desk has tracked Britain’s own decade-long saga over a single delayed rail line, for comparison.
The Manila Times reports operator groups are requesting the government simply pick a date and, this time, stick to it.
Enriquez says the board remains “fully committed” to the final phase being final, a sentence she delivered with the same tone used in phases four, seven, and nine.
Operators Weigh In
“I’ve modernized my expectations more than my jeepney at this point,” said one driver, who asked to remain anonymous “in case there’s a twelfth phase.”
The board has scheduled a public briefing to explain the latest final phase, though the venue has reportedly changed twice already, prompting several operators to ask whether the briefing itself might also require a final-phase extension.
Enriquez insists the board has “genuinely learned” from the previous ten phases, though when pressed on what specifically had changed, she paused for a long moment before answering, “the paperwork is a slightly different color now.”
For more like this, see NewsThump.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com