Piston leads transport strike: PUV protest in Cebu today

CEBU, Philippines — Transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston)-Cebu members will be on strike today, November 22, the last day of the three-day nationally-coordinated transport strike staged by its Manila counterpart.

Piston-Cebu president Greg Perez said at least 100 jeepney drivers affiliated with their group would stay off the streets to join the protest action.

He said they would start at 5 a.m. and would culminate it with a protest rally outside the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-7 office in Cebu City at 1 p.m.

“Half day ra ni among strike. Dili sad namo tumong nga i-paralyze ang transportasyon. Ang among tumong ug tuyo nga amoa lang gipalanog ang mga mga demanda ngadto sa gobiyerno,” Perez said.

The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), though, is not taking any chances, and assured that there would be enough alternative transportation vehicles for commuters today.

"Akong i-assure ang katawhan nga gawas sa atong (City Hall) green buses nga atong ipa-field during the strike tomorrow (today) ang atong modernized jepneeys di muapil," said CCTO Head, Raquel Arce yesterday.

She said they received a letter from the modernized PUVs' operators that they would not join today's transport strike.

She even said that fewer public utility jeepneys in the streets means better traffic flow.

Arce said the green buses will be on standby and would be deployed only to augment affected routes.

"We will see to it na kung unsa rota nga naka-assign sa inyoha, ato gihapong i-observe aron ang green buses adto na fill in sa ingon ta nga adunay kakuwang," she said.

Piston-Cebu's Manila counterparts started their transportation strike last Monday and would end it today to protest the continued implementation of the Dec. 31, 2023 deadline for the application of franchise consolidation for transport operators.

The deadline, according to the group, comes with a threat to individual owners of the non-renewal or outright revocation of their respective franchises.

Perez had earlier said that in deference to the eve and feast the other day and yesterday (November 20 to 21) of the Virgen de Regla, whose national shrine in Lapu-Lapu City is always swamped by people, including those from all over the province, they would join the transport strike only today.

He alleged that nine months after Malacañang's promise to incorporate the demands that sparked their March 6 and 7 transport strike, the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) came up with a second draft of the "Omnibus Franchising Guidelines" (OFG) that was essentially the same as before.

“Hence, the LTFRB held fast to the implementation of the Franchise Consolidation, which after 6 months, mandates the operators to start replacing their traditional jeepneys with modern minibuses," Perez said, in a press statement.

"Worse, instead of Euro 4 costing P2.8 Million per unit, Pres. Marcos Jr. himself prefers the purchase of electric or solar types, each costing P4 Million,” he added.

Piston-Cebu reiterated its national leadership's stance that that the so-called Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) is nothing but a big business enterprise.

“(T)he public utility jeepney industry will be fully exploited through the forced purchase of imported, very expensive and non-sustainable vehicles from China, Korea and Japan. More, the present population of small operators will be bankrupted and their franchises, routes and livelihood will simply be taken over by the banks and big business,” the group said.

Piston's demands in holding the transport strike are the scrapping of the franchise consolidation requirement and allowing those who previously complied to withdraw their individual franchises; restoration of the five-year franchises for all PUVs and all modified PUV routes; immediate cash aid and reasonable financial support for all affected PUV drivers and small operators.

Upholding PISTON's right to freedom of association and respect of its right to strike; and implementation of a "pro-people just transition in public transport modernization anchored on a program of local and national industrialization instead of overly relying on imported vehicles". — (FREEMAN)