Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 15) — The group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) said it may hold a bigger strike if the government continues to be firm about its Dec. 31 deadline for the consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUVs).
“Kung talagang hindi tayo pakikinggan, yung ating kahingian, ay muli tayong, muling magpaplano ng isang mas malapad na pagkilos,” PISTON National President Mody Floranda said Thursday.
[Translation: If they will really not listen to us, to our requests, we will again plan a bigger strike.]
PISTON is holding the second day of its protest on Friday. According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the first day of the strike had minimal impact on commuters as it was able to deploy enough free rides for commuters.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source, Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan said it did not paralyze public transportation.
MMDA Assistant. General Manager for Operations David Angelo Vargas also told CNN Philippines’ New Day up to 40 vehicles were deployed across Metro Manila. Free rides will continue on Friday, he said.
He also assured commuters the government is prepared in case PISTON conducts another strike.
The Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and various transport groups held a dialogue on Thursday, wherein it reiterated its stand not to extend the consolidation deadline despite the strike. It also said the groups sought assistance for jeepney rehabilitation and to issue a memorandum circular written in Filipino.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also said the deadline will not be extended as 70% of operators have already consolidated.
Meanwhile, a United Kingdom trade union for the transport sector expressed on Friday its support for the strike of Filipino jeepney drivers and operators against the government’s Dec. 31 deadline for the consolidation of PUVs.
In a solidarity message sent to Filipino transport groups, Rail and Maritime Transport Workers Union (RMT Union – UK) General Secretary Michael Lynch said that its union denounced the year-end deadline. He said that thousands of drivers \”who for decades have borne the cost of providing a cheap reliable public transport system throughout the country\” would eventually be phased out if it did not pass the modernization program requirements.
