MMDA: Number coding remains in effect despite transport strike

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes said yesterday that the number coding scheme was not suspended due to the minimal impact of the transport strike led by Manibela.

“There was no suspension of number coding because the effect of the transport strike is minimal. Traffic flow would actually be worse without the coding,” Artes said.

Despite the minimal impact, Artes stated that the MMDA's assets, as well as those of other agencies and local government units, were prepositioned. However, he clarified that these resources would not be deployed, as only a few joined the strike. "We don’t want to send out assets when there are insufficient passengers for those who did not join the strike,” he explained.

In the event of stranded passengers, Artes assured the public that there would be a single dispatch, and monitoring efforts would continue.

Meanwhile, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon emphasized the need for dialogue with the strikers. “We should sit down. Let’s talk things out,” Dizon said, addressing the protesters. He also mentioned that 86 percent of public utility jeepney operators applied for consolidation, with 43 percent already approved.

Manibela began its three-day transport strike on Monday, 24 March 2025, protesting the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program. The group claimed that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had misrepresented the consolidation figures of PUV operators and drivers under the program.