Commuters affected on Day 1 of transport strike

Commuters experienced difficulties on Monday as transport groups MANIBELA and PISTON began their two-day national transport strike in protest against the Public Transport Modernization Program (PUTMP), Joseph Morong reported on 24 Oras.

Commuter JR Sontes said he waited for two hours before finding a Manila to Morayta jeepney.

“Walang jeep eh, konti lang jeep (There’s no jeepneys, there only a few),” he said.

Meanwhile, a man accompanying a child rode a tricycle instead.

Despite the visible effects of the transport strike in certain areas, the Land Transportation Franchising And Regulatory Board (LTFRB) downplayed its effects.

“These are the regular traffic on a Monday marami po yung mga pasahero, kokonti po talaga yung mga jeep dahil nata-traffic,” LTFRB chairman Atty. Teofilo Guadiz III said.

“Successful yung ikinasa naming transport strike. Kung hindi lang mandaraya din ang gobyerno na magsususpinde ng klase, ng ilang pasok sa gobyerno at partida may libreng sakay pa,” MANIBELA chairman Mar Valbuena said.

(The transport strike was successful, especially if the government did not cheat and suspended classes and some government offices, and free rides were also provided.)

The strikers also tried to stop non-participating jeepney dri ers from plying their routes, explaining to their fellow drivers that their franchises would eventually be revoked and they would find difficulty in registering their units.

PISTON is demanding  that the five-year franchises be returned to jeepney operators since they alleged that Congress is the only one that can revoke it.

However, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said the PUTMP will push through.

“The call of PISTON and MANIBELA to scrap the program is non-negotiable. These two groups cannot be allowed to derail the program,” Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said.

He added the 83% consolidated public utility vehicles (PUVs) are enough to cater to commuters, but the route distribution is still being adjusted in coordination with the local governments.

“For the next two years or so aayusin po, aayusin yung mga ruta before na marami at nalaman na natin na sobra, aayusin po. Yung mga ruta naman po na konti, at dumami na po ang pangangailangan dadagdagan po,” DOTR Undersecretary for Roads Andy Ortega said.

(For the next two years or so, we will fix the routes that have many PUVs. We will also add more units in routes that are lacking PUVs.

According to DOTr, It will take about two to three years before the agency requires traditional jeepneys to be replaced with modern ones.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Office said those who will not participate in the program may register their traditional jeepneys as private vehicles.

On Monday afternoon, PISTON filed a motion to resolve its petition for a temporary restraining order against the PUTMP in the Supreme Court.

Government offices and some classes were suspended at 3 p.m. for the celebration of Family Week.

Due to the suspension, commuters at the Manila City Hall experienced difficulties since there were a few jeepneys available.

One commuter said this is not the usual case since rush hour is around 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News