'Transport holiday' ends today

Public utility vehicle (PUV) transport groups Piston and Manibela ended the supposed weeklong-strike pertaining to the PUV modernization program (PUVMP) today.

The announcement was made following their meeting with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil and Office of the Executive Secretary Undersecretary Roy Cervantes.

In a post over PCO’s official Facebook page late Tuesday evening, PISTON President Mody Florada at Manibela Transport Group Chairman Mar Valbuena announced that the transport holiday that they have implemented for the past two days will come to a close.

“Panghahawakan namin ang pahayag ng ating mahal ng Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. na bukas ang administrasyon sa pag-aaral at pag rebisa ng implementasyon ng PUV modernization program upang mapanatili ang kabuhayan ng ating mga PUV drivers at operators (We will hold the statement of our beloved President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. that the administration is open to studying and revising the implementation of the PUV modernization program to maintain the livelihood of our PUV drivers and operators,” Valbuena said.

“Sa dahilang ito, upang masimulan ang diskurso, nagdesisyon ang aming grupo ang transport strike kasama ang PISTON at magbalik-pasada na simula bukas (For this reason, in order to start the discourse, our group decided the transport strike with PISTON and will work again starting tomorrow),” he added.

Meanwhile, the PCO shared that the country’s chief executive ordered the Department of Transportation and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to take advantage of the extended deadline until December 31, 2023 to re-study the provisions of Department Order No. 2017-011 (Omnibus Franchising Guidelines) to make sure that ensure that every aspect of program is considered, including the protests of drivers and operators.

Based on the President's directive, the DOTr and the LTFRB will conduct an extensive consultation to ensure that the PUVMP is implemented more smoothly.

Last Monday, MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes reported that the first day of the transport strike had a minimal effect on commuters, leading to the resumption of the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP, commonly known as the expanded number coding scheme) a day after.

 On the other hand, labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno shared that drivers and operators received threats such as franchise revocation should they join the transport strike.

Photos from Presidential Communications Office, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority

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