No stopping jeepney strike; PNP on alert

MANILA, Philippines — At least 100,000 jeepney drivers and operators nationwide go on a weeklong strike starting today, unless President Marcos junks the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines which effectively phase out traditional jeepneys, a transport group leader said.

In an interview with The STAR yesterday, Mody Floranda, president of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), said all is set for the protests they plan to stage this week and only an executive order from Malacañang can stop them.

“It is only when PBBM formally issues an executive order stopping the implementation of the DO2017-011 on Omnibus Franchising Guidelines that could stop our strike,” Floranda said.

He said their protest actions will be held in Southern Tagalog, Region IV-A, Bicol, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Region 1, Bulacan, Baguio City and Metro Manila and begin at 7 a.m.

“Here in Metro Manila, we will assemble at UP Diliman and from there, we will (form) a caravan… to LTFRB (Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board in Quezon City), proceed to Delta and then Quezon Avenue, and we will proceed to Mendiola (in Manila) to ask the President to act on the plight of the public transport,” Floranda said.

In response to a Malacañang statement that 94 percent of jeepney drivers are not joining the strike, he said: “The success of the strike is not measured on the extent of the mobilization, but the legitimate issue that the drivers and operators are presenting.”

His group insisted that Marcos should order the scrapping of the phaseout of traditional jeepneys.

“No less than the President who said last week that even if a jeepney is 10, 15 or 20 years old as long it is compliant, meaning it passed the emission test, the requirements set by the LTO (Land Transportation Office) and LTFRB, drivers and operators should be allowed to operate,” Floranda noted.

Still, Piston believes the President should issue an executive order in support of the public transport sector, because the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB would insist on modernization.

“We are not against modernization. What we are opposing is its provision that we need to join a new cooperative or form a new cooperative. We are in favor of forming a cooperative, but it should be composed of operators and drivers and not manipulated by big corporations,” said Floranda.

He added that Filipinos are sympathetic to their cause and support their decision to go on strike. “As you can see on social media, ordinary people are calling to support and join our mobilization,” he said.

Floranda recalled that when he faced the Senate hearing on the matter last week, transport groups aired their position urging the DOTr and the LTFRB to return the five-year validity of their franchises.

“No less that the President said that the pandemic is over, but what we are presently using are temporary permits and QR code which was implemented when public transport was limited,” he said.

“It is about time to implement the legitimate law on franchises or Republic Act 4136 and not a mere executive order,” he added.

He then belittled the threat of the LTFRB to cancel the franchises of drivers joining this week’s protest actions, citing how Piston had been mounting strikes for 42 years under the same threat.

“We are returning the question to the LTFRB: how can you cancel our franchise when you have already removed the franchises of traditional jeepneys and what we have is a temporary permit to operate?” quipped Floranda.

Aside from Piston, members of transport group Manibela, led by Mar Valbuena, are joining the one-week transport strike.

LTFRB: PUV majority not on strike

Until yesterday, the LTFRB remained unfazed, claiming that the majority of transport groups in the country will not be joining the strike.

It enumerated these groups as the National Federation of Transport Cooperatives, Alliance of Transport Operators’ & Drivers’ Association of the Philippines, Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas, Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization, Pasang Masda Jeepney, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Stop and Go Coalition, Senate Employees Transport Service Cooperative and UV Express National Alliance of the Philippines.

“They also condemn the mobilization as it will not bring benefits to the country and will also affect the passengers. The groups also support the PUV modernization of the DOTr and LTFRB,” the LTFRB said in a statement.

LTFRB National Capital Region Director Zona Russet Tamayo thanked the transport groups over their decision to disregard the strike.

Tamayo also encouraged the public to report any untoward incidents to the LTFRB.

In a manifesto, Magnificent Seven Representative and Pasang Masda president Roberto Martin and National Federation of Transport Cooperative representative Edmundo Cadavona expressed their support to the public utility modernization program of the government.

“Rest assured that all the 1,200 modernized PUJ and modernized UVE, including the 12,000 traditional PUJ and UVE in Metro Manila will not join the illegal transport strike,” the groups said.

PNP on heightened alert

For its part, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is on heightened alert and will be closely monitoring the events and activities related to this week’s transport strike.

In a radio interview, Col. Redrico Maranan, PNP public information office chief, said that under the heightened alert status, 80 percent of the police force will be on duty.

“We have prepared our security plan. We are prepared on that. We are also prepared to use our available resources to help commuters that may be affected by the strike,” Maranan said in Filipino.

“Our alert status will be heightened, and we will deploy policemen on places where commuters ride public vehicles, so we could give security,” he said, adding that some of the PNP’s vehicles would be used to ferry stranded commuters.

‘Libreng sakay’ in MM

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the 1,700 barangays in Metro Manila will use their service patrols to convey passengers most affected by the transport strike launched today.

“Secretary (Benhur) Abalos particularly directed mayors and barangays in Metro Manila if they have available vehicles, use them to help provide free rides to passengers who will be stranded as result of the strike,” DILG Undersecretary for barangay affairs Felicito Valmocina said in a radio interview yesterday.

“Each barangay has at least one, two or three service vehicles and we have 1,700 barangays all over Metro Manila,” added Valmocina as he encouraged local government units to mobilize their service vehicles like buses and patrol cars to assist commuters affected by the strike.

Government agencies, local airline companies and airline service providers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals have prepared contingency measures to ensure minimal interruption, if at all, to their operations as a result of the public transport strike.

Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Cesar Chiong has directed the deployment of shuttle buses to and from Dasmariñas in Cavite for MIAA employees living in various parts of the province.

Employees who live in nearby cities or even as far as Bulacan and Laguna are encouraged to consider staying in the office where temporary sleeping quarters will be made available for them.

The former Nayong Pilipino administration building, which the MIAA now occupies, has several shower rooms that employees can use if they so choose to stay in.

Also, the MIAA advised air passengers to monitor news reports on the transport situation in their areas and check the status of their flight before going to NAIA to avoid inconvenience. – DM