We’re at the start of the jeepney phaseout strike, and the some of the participating transport groups are making their intentions clear from the start. For them, it’s not enough that the deadline for consolidating their jeepneys, some of them want the December 31 cutoff to be scrapped altogether.
Per The Philippine Star, several transport groups are demanding the government and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to slam the brakes on the eventual phaseout of traditional jeepneys. Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) president, Mody Floranda, also told the paper that the group will not back down until President Marcos scraps the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines.
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Floranda says he, along with other groups, are not against the whole idea of modernization. Instead, the protests are to point out the government’s implementation of the PUV Modernization Program. One of the prevalent issues that transport groups mention is the cost of the modern PUV. At the time of writing, prices for modern PUVs range from P1.5-M to over P2-M for the larger versions. Even with the government’s loan assistance, the drivers and operators in the strike say that it is still too expensive and put them in deeper debt.
On top of that, LTO Department Order No. 2017-011 requires individual franchise holders to be part of a fleet management system or join a co-op. A co-op requires at least 15 franchise holders in order to be approved.
However, it seems that the government is sticking to its guns regarding the deadline. Department of Transport (DOTr) secretary, Jaime Bautista, told The Philippine Star that a deadline must be imposed and that leaving it open-ended will mean no one will follow. The DOTr also warns the drivers and operators who join the strike may face administrative and criminal charges, along with the revocation of franchises. That said, the government claims that the transport strike ‘fails to paralyze provinces’.
It is estimated that there are 100,000 jeepney drivers and operators that are taking part in the weeklong protest. In response to the interruptions, the government has provided free transport in affected areas.
