Jeepney drivers and operators belonging to MANIBELA (Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon) and PISTON (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide) vowed on Sunday they will pursue with their planned transport strike for the government to look back into their plight and demands.

Mody Floranda, PISTON national president said the disruption to the commuting public will be felt as early as 9 a.m.

Floranda said they are not against the modernization of public utility vehicles (PUVs), but are against some of the regulations of the government's PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) that covers franchises, ownership of new vehicles, the companies where the said vehicles will be bought from, and the structure of the cooperatives they are being required to join in order for them to continue operating.

"They (goverment) claim they will study allowing local jeepney manufacturers, but they haven't even released an EO [Executive Order] on Philippine Standard Compliance," Floranda explained.

"PISTON is open to talks on cooperatives. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) even said that in a cooperative, the unit and the franchise should still be under the name of the operator who is already a member of the cooperative," he added.

Their group Floranda said along with members of MANIBELA will assemble along U.P. Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City in the morning.

With a caravan, the group will go to the main office of the LTFRB at East Avenue at around 1 p.m.

The groups will then proceed to Mendiola in Manila where they expect to arrive at 3 to 4 p.m., Floranda said.

This will be the main activity today (Monday) the first day of its two-day transport strike.

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III on the other hand said they are ready and his lead agency, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Saturday, downplayed the planned two-day transport strike.

Metro police chief P/Major General Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr., said Metro Manila's police force is deploying 7,000 cops to address disruptions the transport strike might cause.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director asked PISTON and MANIBELA to hold a peaceful and orderly protest action and requested rallyists not to harass PUVs that are not joining the strike.

For commuters, Nartatez Libreng Sakay (free ride program) will help them.