Bacolod transport leaders freed on bail

MANILA, Philippines — Transport group leaders who were arrested in Bacolod on Wednesday, September 18 during a protest against the jeepney modernization program are now freed on bail, transport group Piston said. 

In Piston’s social media post on Thursday afternoon, it said that five of the six transport leaders who were apprehended by the Bacolod Police on Wednesday secured their temporary liberty after posting bail from "disobedience" charges. 

The released individuals are: 

• Lilian Sembrano
• Rudy Catedral
• Eric Bendoy
• Rodolfo Gardoce
• Shalemar Sailot

Piston said another transport leader, Melchor Omagayon, remains in jail due to an additional charge of direct assault. 

The six leaders are mulling to file counter-charges against the policemen who arrested them. 

The individuals arrested are affiliated with transport groups Piston and Manibela, the two groups of jeepney drivers and operators who are opposed on the Public Transport Modernization Program, formerly known as the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

What happened

Piston and Manibela staged a protest outside L'Fisher Hotel in Bacolod, expressing their opposition to the jeepney modernization program.

Citing a local news report, Police Col. Joeresty Coronica, Director of the Bacolod City Police, said the protesters gathered in the area around the hotel and crowded Lacson St. without securing the necessary permit.

Before the leaders were arrested, the police, in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection, used a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

The protesters were subsequently charged for violating Batas Pambansa Bilang 880 or the Public Assembly Act for rallying without a permit, with additional potential charges for resisting authorities and obstructing roads under Republic Act 4136 or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code.

According to multiple local media reports, Land Transportation Franchishing and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III was in the hotel attending a private event. 

It should be noted that the LTFRB, headed by Guadiz, along with the Department of Transportation issued the memorandum circulars which called for the implementation of the public utility vehicle consolidation program which mandated jeepney operators to consolidate as a cooperative or a corporation. 

Public Transport Modernization Program

Jeepney operators and drivers across the country has long opposed the modernization program of their jeepneys claiming it to be a financial burden due to the price of a modern jeepney that may reach up to P2.8 million per unit. 

It has been assailed by the transport groups before the Supreme Court since December last year. However, the its implementation has not been halted. 

The high court also struck down one of the petitions against the modernization program on March 6, 2024 as it lacked a “legal standing.”

The Senate previously called for the halt of the implementation of the program due to the high number of unconsolidated jeepneys.

The upper chamber also pointed out that the financing burden of jeepney operators on a modern jeepney unit which “greatly exceeds the financial capacity of drivers and operators.”

However, the Senate’s proposal was opposed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. saying that the program was long overdue.