President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to review and promptly address concerns raised by a transport group that is planning a three-day strike.

The transport group, Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers para sa Karapatan sa Paggawa (Manibela), had announced plans for a work stoppage starting 9 December as the group is protesting alleged delays in government document processing and what it claims are excessively high penalties imposed on its members, which affect their livelihoods.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro disclosed that the administration is open to dialogue to resolve the issues.

“The DoTr leadership has been instructed to carefully look into the concerns of the Manibela group. If their complaints have a valid basis, they should be addressed and resolved immediately,” Castro said.

She added that the DoTr has been tasked with engaging the transport group to resolve valid concerns and prevent the disruption of public transport services and also urged Manibela to cooperate for the sake of commuters, especially during the busy Christmas season.

“We should also take the initiative with the Manibela group. Since it’s the Christmas season, perhaps you can treat this as a goodwill gesture and discuss their concerns. Talk about it so it can be resolved quickly,” Castro said.