PUVMP transport strike extended until Friday

Another transport group, Manibela, yesterday announced it will start its own strike today, Wednesday, as Piston's own three-day transport holiday that started on Monday ends.

In effect, the original Monday to Wednesday strike of Piston will now  be extended until Friday with Manibela's decision to also oppose the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, or PUVMP.

Manibela president Mar Valbuena said their strike will not be limited to Metro Manila, but will also be felt in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Central and Western Visayas, and Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat and the Davao Region.

Valbuena said they could not afford the goverment's PUVMP and want the government to help them upgrade their engines instead.

Meanwhile, traditional jeepneys can still ply their assigned routes even after the end of the year, as long as their franchise holders signify their intention to join the PUVMP.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board spokesperson Celine Pialago made this clarification on Tuesday amid the fear expressed by jeepney drivers and operators over the 31 December 2023 deadline set for them to consolidate or form cooperatives.

The formation of the cooperatives is intended to facilitate the purchase by PUV operators and drivers of modern vehicles through government subsidies.

Pialago said that even those from the striking Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide, or Piston, may still operate their traditional jeepneys next year.

"All they need is to file their intention to join the PUVMP. It's just a one-page or a two-page letter signifying their intention," she said in a media briefing yesterday, the second of the three-day strike led by Piston.

At the start of the transport strike declared by Piston on Monday, the LTFRB said it could extend to five years from one year when modernized PUV units may be procured.

Pialago said many of Piston's demands are "doable," like the five-year extension, waiving penalties, and removing "onerous" provisions of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines.

What is not negotiable, Pialago said, is the scrapping of the consolidation process.

Some Piston members did not join their organization's protest action because they "already understand the process of consolidation," the program's benefits, and the leeway being given them by the government, Pialago said.

Pialago explained around 60 percent of traditional jeepney operators have already joined the consolidation program, while among UV Express drivers and operators, about 70 percent have joined.

No consolidation, no registration

She said joining an existing transport cooperative or applying for consolidation will also require registration with the Land Transportation Office or LTO.

"The confirmation will come from the LTFRB, which will be the basis for the registration with the LTO. Technically speaking, when you're not registered, you cannot go on the road," Pialago explained.

To date, some 129,568 public utility jeeps, UV Express, mini-buses, and public utility buses have consolidated, or 65.03 percent of all authorized PUVs. "The remaining 34.97 percent consist of 69,665 individual franchise holders," she said.