Group prepares 3-day transport strike to coincide with Marcos’ SONA

A group of traditional jeepney drivers will hold a three-day transport strike to air their complaints about the route rationalization plan and the delivery of fuel subsidies.

Manibela national president Mar Valbuena said on Wednesday that the transport strike will be held from July 24 to 26 in the following areas:

• National Capital Region
• Pangasinan
• Cagayan Valley
• Central Luzon
• Calabarzon
• Mimaropa
• Bicol Region
• Visayas
• Cagayan de Oro
• Cotabato
• Davao Region

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24.

”Sa pag-iikot natin sa mga iba’t-ibang lugar, nalaman natin na ‘yung mga pag-aaral sa route rationalization, ‘yung mga na-rationalize na po na mga ruta karamihan po dito, ‘yung mga magaganda, malalaking ruta ina-award po doon so mga mayors, congressman na may kakayanan, may credit lines talaga sa mga bangko,” Valbuena said in a television interview.

“Wala na po kaming kalaban-laban diyan kapag ‘yung mga ruta inaward na doon sa mga LGU [officials] o malalaking korporasyon,” he added.

The PUV modernization program, which intends to replace traditional jeepneys with vehicles powered by more environmentally friendly fuels, mandates that jeepney drivers and operators join or establish cooperatives.

Operators and drivers may submit applications for new franchises through transportation cooperatives.

The deadline for jeepney operators to form cooperatives is December 31, 2023.

Manibela also said some people were able to secure fuel subsidies by using the names of drivers whose jeepneys were no longer being used.

The group called for the resignation of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Teofilo Gadiz III.

DOTr to Manibela: Prove allegations

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Transportation said the DOTr, LTFRB, and Office of Transportation Cooperatives have been engaged in consultations with PUV drivers and operators for several weeks regarding their concerns, such as the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP).

The DOTr said the LTFRB ”has always been fair in implementing its mandate based on the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) either to corporations or cooperatives.”

”The DOTr, LTFRB, and OTC are open and willing to hold dialogues with any group that has legitimate concerns, and we vow to address such concerns through consultations and forums,” it said. ”The DOTr challenges Manibela to prove their allegations with concrete proof and evidence.”

”Their group is free to stage any form of protest. However, DOTr will not be held hostage. The whole country and innocent commuters will not be blackmailed every time this group does not get what it wants,” the DOTr said.