Metro Manila transport paralyzed next week, group vows

MANILA, Philippines — A transport group leader yesterday vowed to paralyze public transportation in Metro Manila and other provinces during a three-day strike that starts on July 24, coinciding with the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos.

Manibela president Mar Valbuena said only Marcos could stop the scheduled public utility jeepney strike, claiming more than 200,000 PUJs would participate in the mobilization.

He also noted that he respects the decision of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) not to join the strike and instead participate in the protest action of various militant groups on Marcos’ SONA next Monday.

“It is also a good opportunity for them to air their concern through protests in the streets. We also thank them for their effort to relay to President Marcos their sentiments despite our differences on how to defend our livelihood,” Valbuena said.

Piston president Mody Floranda has said his group would join the march going to the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, where Marcos will deliver his SONA.

“Only the President can stop us,” Valbuena said, adding that PUJ drivers will no longer listen to the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). “Even if he will not call us in Malacañang, if the President issues a statement, correcting the statement of (Transportation) Secretary (Jaime) Bautista, we will abide as that’s what we want to happen.”

According to Valbuena, it was no less than Bautista who said that the Dec. 31 deadline for transport groups to consolidate will no longer be extended.

“Yesterday, Secretary Bautista put an end to the franchise of the jeepneys as he said we only have (until) Dec. 31,” Valbuena said.

He downplayed the LTFRB’s threat to cancel the franchises of jeepney operators who will participate in the strike, explaining that they “have nothing to be afraid of as our franchises will not be renewed as stated by Secretary Bautista that all the traditional jeepneys which failed to consolidate and did not avail of the modernization program will only have until the end of the year.”

Valbuena said that all the efforts of PUJ drivers would be exerted in the three-day transport strike.

He claimed that only 6,000 of 300,000 jeepney drivers availed themselves of the modernization program of the government and incurred at least P200,000 monthly losses.

“The Magnificent Seven will not admit it, but according to the LTFRB regional offices that confirmed that as long as we (traditional jeepneys) are here, the monthly losses of each cooperative reach at least P200,000. They want to end the franchises of traditional jeepneys by the end of December so that they can reach their quota for their loans,” Valbuena said.

The so-called Magnificent Seven represents the seven major transport groups in the country, he said.

Valbuena said that prior to the March 6 transport strike, the members of Manibela were only five percent of these groups.

“After we launched the transport strike, many members of the transport groups joined Manibela,” he noted.

He said that the three-day transport strike was supposed to start today but was delayed for one week after many jeepney drivers requested that they also participate.

“That’s why it will coincide with the SONA of the President,” Valbuena said, adding that the three-day mobilization can still be extended.

“I advised our members to save ahead of the three-day strike,” he added.

For his part, Floranda said that based on the dialogue with LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz, an order will be issued any time this week on the issue of the jeepney modernization program.