Piston-Baguio drivers and operators of public transportation condemned comprador bourgeois Manny Pangilinan’s Smart Urban Mobility Project (SUMP) in Baguio City. According to the group, the project privatizes further the city’s transportation system. It will only worsen residents’ burdens and will not bring progress to the city.

In cahoots with the Baguio city council, Pangilinan deceptively promotes the SUMP as a program that will solve traffic problems, especially when tourists flock to the city. However, drivers know that its main objective is to profit from the city’s traffic system and roads. Recently, the SUMP component Mobility Fee Charging System faced strong criticism for charging up to ₱250 “congestion fee” from vehicles entering the Central Business District.

The SUMP scheme is also linked to the fake modernization program, the Public Transport Modernization Program, which phased out traditional jeepneys in favor of foreign minibuses. Forced consolidation had already decreased the number of jeepneys on the road. The number further declined when minibus cooperatives went bankrupt due to debt and corrupt management. Residents ultimately suffered the consequences of having fewer jeepneys, longer and slower moving queues, and higher taxi fares because of the mobility fee, Piston said.

“The solution to the influx of private vehicles, including those brought by tourists, is to improve infrastructure to accommodate more vehicles,” Piston said. “The profit-driven superficial program is not a solution.”

The group said the Baguio local government should prioritize fixing terminals and routes based on the needs of drivers and commuters. It should also restore and help rehabilitate the traditional jeepneys that were denied franchises.

“Private vehicle reduction will only be effective if there is a proper transportation system to replace them,” the group stated.