Jeepney groups vow no transport strike for next five years

As if to prove they also have the public interest in mind, jeepney organizations have vowed not to stage any transport strikes for the next five years.

A commitment "not to strike" was signed yesterday by the Federation of Drivers and Jeepney Operators of the Philippines (FEJODAP), the Philippine Confederation of Drivers Organization—Alliance of Concerned Transportation Operators (PCDO—ACTO), the Makati Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (MJODA) and the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines (ALTODAP).

Absent from yesterday’s signing was the militant Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston).

In a statement, Piston said it could not commit to a moratorium on transport strikes when issues like the repeal of the oil deregulation law remain outstanding.

But Transportation and Communications secretary Leandro Mendoza welcomed the moratorium and said the government would take advantage of it to come up with measures to improve the plight of jeepney drivers and operators.

FEJODAP president Zenaida Maranan said the moratorium would give the government time to focus on the problems of the transport sector.

She said the jeepney operators would also work to improve their service and efficiency to attract more commuters.

Mendoza said that an improvement in public transport would help ease traffic congestion in the metropolis once car owners start riding jeepneys and buses.

He said public utility vehicles would expand their market if they could approximate the comfort and safety of Metro Manila’s electric rail service.

There are over 100,000 public utility vehicles and 1.2 million private vehicles in Metro Manila alone.

Vehicular volume is projected to grow by seven percent each year.