Transport group sets new protest action vs. jeepney phaseout plan

Militant transport group PISTON is preparing for a protest caravan on May 22 against the planned jeepney phaseout program of the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

"Unang Balita" reported Friday that the group does not buy into the assurances of the DOTr  and the LTFRB that there will be no jeepney phaseout.

JUST IN: grupong PISTON, maglulunsad ng malawakang kilos protesta sa lunes kontra jeepney phase-out @dzbb pic.twitter.com/yhifmoquPg

— Allan Gatus (@allangatus) May 18, 2017

Some 1,000 PISTON members will be joining the protest caravan that will take place around the Cubao area in Quezon City before proceeding to LTFRB's central office, the group's leaders told Unang Balita.

They said that LTFRB's statement saying there will be no phaseout of old public utility jeepneys is untrue as it has plans to pay operators for the modernization program.

LTFRB Chairman Atty. Martin Delgra III earlier assured transport groups that there would be no phaseout of jeepneys.

But PISTON claimed that Delgra had told them that the government will not release any budget to help drivers and operators affected by the phaseout, instead it will only help in selling their old jeepneys.

LTFRB is yet to comment on PISTON's the allegations. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/LBG, GMA News