Transport groups hail strike as successful as gov’t agrees to revisit modernization guidelines

Transport groups hailed the recent transport strike as successful, after the government agreed to revisit aspects of the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program.

Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) National President Modesto “Mody” Floranda on Wednesday said the government has agreed to revise the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, in cooperation with the transport sector.

“‘Yun pong mga tinalakay sa kanilang issue na kinakaharap ay kagyat na tinugunan ng Office of the (Executive) Secretary at ang isa rito ay ‘yung muling pagrerebisa dun sa Omnibus Franchising Guidelines nung 2017,” said Floranda in a press conference.

(The issues were urgently responded to by the Office of the Executive Secretary, and one of these is the revision of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines of 2017.)

He was referring to Department Order 2017-011 or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issuance, of which transport groups have protested against.

PUV groups have scheduled a week-long transport strike from March 6 to 12, to express their opposition to the PUV Modernization Program, as operators have appealed to give them more time to shift to modern jeepneys beyond the June 30 deadline.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) extended the deadline to December 31, 2023 following the announcement of the transport strike, in deference of a Senate resolution and the request of Bautista.

“Ang dalawang araw na transport strike ay sinasabi nga nating matagumpay (The first two days of the transport strike were successful),” Floranda said, claiming that some 80% to 100% of national roads in Metro Manila were paralyzed in the first day, and nearly 80% on the second day.

“Ibig sabihin niyan ay malinaw nating narehistro ‘yung ating posisyon kaugnay dito sa kinakaharap ng ating sektor, ng ating public transport na kung saan ay yung mga lumalabas na Executive Order ay ‘yung planong pagtatanggal sa ating kabuhayan at karapatan bilang serbisyo publiko,” he added.

(This means that we clearly registered our position in line with the issues our sector, the public transport, is facing, where it seems that the Executive Order plans to remove our livelihood, our rights as a public service.)

The week-long transport strike was cut short, after representatives of PISTON and Manibela met with President Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil and Office of the Executive Secretary Undersecretary Roy Cervantes on Tuesday afternoon.

The PUV modernization program started in 2017, aiming to replace jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution, but drivers and operators complained about the costs which can hit over P2 million.

Transport officials have since said that traditional jeepneys can still operate beyond the set deadline, provided that they join transport cooperatives to prevent “on-street competition” among drivers and operators.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that he wants to ensure that no driver will lose their job over the government's PUV Modernization program. Marcos also thanked transport groups for their decision to end the strike. —VAL, GMA Integrated News