Understanding Philippine Mass Transportation Policy Discourse

through the Cultural Theory of Risk

Metro Manila traffic is one of the worst ones in the world. More than 3.5 million

vehicles travel through major roads in Metro Manila daily on average (Metropolitan Manila

Development Authority, 2022). Meanwhile, around 98.5 million passengers use the Light

Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (Philippine Statistics Authority,

2022). As more vehicles invade urban spaces and more commuters use inefficient public

transport, they emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) that are harmful to Earth’s atmosphere. In

2022, the transportation sector accounted for 35.42 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions

(Statista, 2022). To alleviate this transportation crisis, the Land Transportation Franchising

and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) organized the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program

(PUVMP), which seeks to replace jeepneys 15 years or older with new environmentally

friendly, higher-capacity ones. In such a case, Metro Manila and its transportation crisis sink

into a familiar yet novel form of a Tragedy of the Commons.

The Tragedy of the Commons is a concept in economics and game theory that

ecologist Garrett Hardin popularized in a 1968 paper. In this Tragedy, individuals, each acting

in their own self-interest, collectively deplete a shared resource, leading to its degradation or

collapse. In this scenario, the pursuit of individual gain undermines the well-being of the

group, as the resource is overexploited beyond its sustainable capacity. According to

neoclassical welfare economics, there are two solutions to the tragedy of the commons. The

first is top-down regulation, and the second is privatization of the resource (Druzin, 2016).

Many studies and research have examined jeepneys’ impact on pollution and the

environment as a whole. A study examined different stakeholders’ thoughts and opinions on

the PUVMP and found that they listed jeepneys’ contribution to pollution as a reason why

they are being phased out (Andalecio et al., 2019). A cost-benefit study report elaborated that
most jeepneys run on worn-out engines that are poorly maintained, leading to air pollution

around Metro Manila (Biona et al., 2017).

Jeepneys are an integral part of the Philippines, both in part due to their cultural

impact, as well as their transportation capacities. Despite their contribution to air pollution,

jeepneys have also been a source of livelihood for Filipinos for generations. Cutting down on

the jeepneys could lead to a Tragedy of the Commons scenario. Because of this, analyzing the

culture to which jeepneys belong becomes an interesting line of inquiry, especially if that

culture harbors a cultural appreciation for the jeepney yet simultaneously strives for its

obsolescence.

To this end, the proposed study will use the Cultural Theory of Risk to understand

Filipino culture and its “culturally standardized response” to the transportation crisis and the

PUVMP as Tragedies of the Commons. The Cultural Theory of Risk proposes a typology of

worldviews that reflect an agent’s self-perception and guide their action (McEvoy et al.,

2017). It analyzes cultures using the group and grid axes, which refer to how its members

perceive themselves or others (Who am I? Who am I with?) and how they usually behave

(How should I act?), respectively.

The proposed study will use a descriptive research design. Since risk perceptions are

so-called “culturally standardized responses” (Douglas, 1992/2013), the proposed study will

conduct textual analyses of legal documents and proceedings related to the PUVMP to affirm

or debunk its environmental potential. The proposed study will also employ discourse

analysis on social media discussions about the PUVMP to categorize users’ statements into

the worldview they exemplify. Such social media discussions will encompass those of

environmental scientists, drivers’ and operators’ associations, and commuters.

References

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“Alternative Technologies for the Philippine Utility Jeepneys: A CostBenefit Study”.

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