MANILA, Philippines — A protest action will be held on Tuesday in front of the Supreme Court to reiterate calls for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the public utility vehicle modernization program, according to Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) deputy secretary general Ruben Baylon.
Piston filed a petition against the PUVMP in December 2023.
The three-month extension given by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to unconsolidated public utility jeepneys ended on April 30.
Impounding of unconsolidated units, which are considered colorum or unauthorized PUVs, began mid-May.
Piston supports Manibela’s call to allow traditional jeepneys to operate for one year, as agreed during a House of Representatives hearing.
“Why is the LTFRB refusing to issue a memorandum circular to allow the operation of traditional jeepneys for one year?” Baylon asked.
Some Piston members were apprehended amid the crackdown on colorum PUJs, he noted. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Emmanuel Tupas, Helen Flores