Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) — Transport group PISTON on Wednesday filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to block the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program.
The filing of the 56-page petition for certiorari and injunction came nearly a week after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) issued a memorandum circular revoking permits of unconsolidated operators by Jan. 1, 2024.
PISTON is seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order or a court order to prevent the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the LTFRB from enforcing the PUV modernization plan, especially the mandatory franchise consolidation, until the petition is resolved.
The group also wants the high court to declare the order formalizing the modernization plan and circulars for the consolidation as null and void.
The petitioners are Mody Floranda, PISTON national president; Jason Fajilagutan, jeepney operator; Gaylord Despuez, Bayan Muna Party-list National Capital Region coordinator; Elmer Forro, No To PUV Phaseout Coalition of Panay member; and Ma. Flora May Cerna, KOMYUT spokesperson.
\”The matter of the mandatory consolidation of franchises is a matter of public and personal interest for the petitioners in this case,\” they said. \”It is more so a matter of transcendental importance, with potential effect on millions of operators, drivers, users and beneficiaries of jeepney operations.\”
PISTON and another transport group Manibela have been conducting nationwide strikes since Monday to protest the Dec. 31 consolidation deadline.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said there will be no further extension for the franchise consolidation, a key component of the PUV modernization program. He argued that the government “cannot let the minority cause further delays.”
Arguments raised
The petitioners argued that the latest LTFRB memorandum circular, which would revoke provisional authorities of unconsolidated operators, was a \”gross and patent violation\” of the Constitutional freedom of association.
\”In this case, the revocation of the individual operators’ provisional authorities for failure to consolidate into juridical entities thereby prohibiting them from being registered as a public utility vehicles are confiscatory and oppressive of their property rights,\” they added.
The petitioners also claimed that jeepneys were \”unreasonably singled out\” in the modernization program, violating the equal protection clause in the Constitution.
Noted in the petition was the small amount of subsidy for operators, ₱160,000, which the petitioners said only covers 5.7% of the total cost of the modern jeepney. “The high costs of the modern jeepneys will then correlate to the increase in the fare that will have to be spent by the commuting public,” they warned.
PISTON is challenging the government’s figure of 70% compliance with the consolidation, saying this represents all operators of different types of PUVs nationwide.
