President Calls to Increase Public Utility Vehicle Insurance Coverage
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon revealed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is pushing to increase the insurance coverage for public utility vehicles (PUVs) following a series of recent road accidents. The President emphasized the importance of protecting commuters, who pay fares and deserve safety on the roads. Since many recent accidents involve PUVs, enhancing insurance coverage is seen as a necessary step.
“So ang insurance napaka-importante niyan at ang panawagan ng Pangulo itaas nang todo ang insurance, ang pagkakaalam ko eh itapat ang insurance sa pribado doon sa PUV. Tingin ko napakagandang ideya po niyan at ‘yan po ang pipilitin nating magawa, at kakausapin natin ang LTO at LTFRB na kailangan i-impose natin ‘yan,” Dizon explained.
(Insurance is also important and the President wants to increase to the maximum level the insurance, and as far as I know, he wants to level the insurance coverage of private vehicles to that of PUVs. For me, that’s a good idea and we will ensure that this will be implemented and we will tell LTO and LTFRB that this must be imposed.)
Ensuring Safety and Fairness for Commuters
Dizon stressed that the safety of passengers must be prioritized, especially since many accidents involve public utility vehicles. “Lalung-lalo na ngayon kita natin sa dami ng mga kasidente and marami sa mg aksidente, PUV. Ang mga kababayan natin… kaya ‘yan ang sinabi ng Pangulo, nagbabayad ‘yan. Nagbabayad ‘yan ng pasahe pero kapalit noong pagbayad nila ng pasahe eh ‘yung makakauwi dapat sila ng safe,” he added.
(Especially now, in most accidents, PUVs are involved. The President said our kababayans pay for their fares so in exchange for that, their safety must be ensured.)
The President’s push to increase public utility vehicle insurance coverage aims to provide better protection for commuters who rely daily on these vehicles.
Balancing Higher Insurance Premiums with Industry Capacity
Discussions will be held with bus companies and PUV operators to assess their ability to handle higher insurance premiums without undue burden. Dizon acknowledged the challenges involved, saying, “Kailangan kausapin natin nang mabuti ang industriya. Ang mga bus companies, ang mga PUV siyempre wala namang libre sa mundo, may kailangang magbayad nang mas mataas na premium ng insurance.”
(We need to talk to the transport industry. The bus companies, PUVs, of course nothing’s free so someone needs to pay a higher premium rate of the insurance.)
He added, “Walang libre sa mundo, kailangan may magbabayad kung mataas ang premium, kailangan mabalanse natin ‘yan pero titingnan natin, titingnan natin ang kakayahan ng mga operator ng mga bus company para iabsorb ‘yan.”
(Nothing’s free and there’s a need to pay higher premium rates, we need to balance this, we will check how the operators of bus companies will absorb this.)
Review of Insurance Coverage for Private Vehicles
The President also directed the Department of Transportation to study a related proposal to increase insurance coverage for private vehicles involved in accidents with PUVs. Currently, PUV passengers receive higher insurance benefits than victims in private cars. This review aims to bring fairness to insurance claims for all parties involved.
Earlier, transportation groups urged the government to align insurance policies of PUVs with those of private motor vehicles to ensure equal benefits for cases involving death or permanent disability.
The final decision on increasing public utility vehicle insurance coverage is expected to be announced within the year.
For more updates on public utility vehicle insurance coverage, visit Filipinokami.com.