Transport groups begin 2-day strike

DRIVERS of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in Metro Manila started on Monday a two-day transport strike to dramatize their opposition to the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP). The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operaytor Nationwide (Piston), who, along with Manibela, organized the strike, asked the Supreme Court to act on its December 2023 petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the PTMP. Piston National Chairman Mody Floranda called on the court to resolve the petition "to avoid serious and irreversible damage on the part of the petitioners, other operators and drivers, commuters, and all their families." MANIC MONDAY Commuters jostle for a ride as public utility jeepneys became scarce at the start of the transport strike on Sept. 23, 2024. PHOTO BY ISMAEL DE JUAN "Today we filed a motion to resolve the petition that we filed last year. We asked the Supreme Court to decide on our applications for a TRO or preliminary injunction," said Piston legal counsel Kristina Conti. Conti said "it seems like the [Department of Transportation] and the [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] are issuing TROs for themselves as they keep extending the deadline." She said that a memorandum issued in July suspended the policy for routes with a low number of aggregated units. "What appears to be true is that the DoTr and the LTFRB are TRO-ing themselves. So, maybe it's time for us to have a better system where the SC itself will tell us to stop it before we decide the merits of the arguments," Conti said. Floranda said that as early as 6 a.m., members of the group began gathering in various parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces. He said nearly 90 percent of Piston members, or around 70,000 jeepney drivers and operators, including those who have already consolidated, will join the strike. Manibela claimed that around 100,000 of its members will participate in the strike. The demands of the two transport groups include the scrapping of the PTMP, renewal of franchises and registrations for all public utility vehicle (PUV) operators, including those who have decided not to consolidate into cooperatives, and cancellation of forced franchise consolidation. They also called for zero budget for PUV phaseout programs, with the funding being distributed to rehabilitate traditional jeepneys. The DoTr said more than 80 percent of PUV operators have complied with the PTMP's requirement to consolidate into cooperatives for easier processing of bank loans to buy modern jeeps. The DoTr said with the high consolidation rate, there is no need to suspend the modernization program launched in 2017. LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said the agency deployed vehicles to assist commuters affected by the strike. He said the LTFRB respects the right of drivers and operators to free expression and acknowledges the concerns of the transport sector. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) also deployed buses for stranded commuters. In a statement on Monday, the OVP said four of the buses were fielded in Metro Manila and one each in Cavite, Cebu City, Bacolod City and Davao City. "In Metro Manila, two of the four Libreng Sakay buses are plying the EDSA Carousel route — from Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) to Monumento," the OVP said. The two other buses plied the Quiapo-Commonwealth Avenue route. In Cavite, a Libreng Sakay bus was plying from the PITX hub to Naic town. The OVP said all of its Libreng Sakay buses are fully air-conditioned and equipped with necessities such as portable toilets, charging ports and free Wi-Fi connection.