Labor group urges gov't to help employees of defunct Pantranco

MANILA, Philippines - The National Labor Union (NLU) has urged national government agencies to assist employees of the defunct Pantranco North Express in getting just compensation declared as valid by the country’s courts through the revival of 498 bus franchises by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Dave Diwa, NLU president, said the recent Department of Transportation of Communications’ suspension of an LTFRB ruling declaring as valid and legal the revival of the 498 bus franchises threatens to deprive some 2,000 laid off Pantranco employees of the fruits of an award issued by the courts and affirmed by the Supreme Court.

Diwa said that with the affirmation by the SC of the award as just compensation to former workers of the closed bus company, the revival of the bus franchises should no longer be delayed or stopped.

“The fact that the courts decided to award the franchise of the Pantranco Bus Co. to the workers as part of compensation speaks volumes about the franchise being legit and where the heart of the government and its laws should be in this issue,” Diwa said.

According to Diwa, another fact is the LTRFB issued the franchise to the new owners after” following strictly rules in this regard.”

“No agency in the government is in a better position than the LTFRB to know which franchise is dead,” he added, further saying that the fact that the award to the new owners followed strictly government rules, presupposed that the LTFRB people knew what they were doing,” he added.

In this Pantranco labor union case, over 2,000 families who had fought for the award to them of the 498 bus franchises of Pantranco through 25 years of litigation will end up not attaining justice with their dreams for better life and justice dead.