* Piston Cebu confirmed its Sept. 29–30 transport strike will push through despite a P1 traditional jeepney and P2 modern PUV fare increase taking effect on Sept. 28.
* Chapter president Greg Perez stated the lifted suspension on the March fare hike does not address their pending petition for a P10 increase, rising fuel costs, and broader economic demands.
* Drivers plan to establish strike centers and suspend operations along selected routes, with Perez urging commuters without urgent activities to stay home to avoid transportation disruptions.
TRANSPORT strike in Cebu will push through on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, despite the implementation of a P1 fare increase for traditional jeepneys and P2 for modern public utility vehicles six months after its approval.
Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) Cebu chapter president Greg Perez told SunStar Cebu in a phone interview on Sunday, Sept. 27, that the fare adjustment does not address the group’s broader demands. These include higher wages for workers, lower fuel prices and changes to the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program.
“The strike on Tuesday is set; there will be no backing out, it will push through on Tuesday,” Perez said in Cebuano.
Suspended hike
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) approved the fare increase in March, but President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered its suspension amid concerns over its impact on commuters.
The fare increase was approved following the surge in global oil prices linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict that began in February. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and other international developments pushed up fuel prices, leaving motorists and public utility vehicle (PUV) operators facing another round of increases.
In a March 16 report by SunStar Cebu, fuel price hikes for the month reached a total of P13 per liter for gasoline, P24.25 for diesel and P38.50 for kerosene.
These price increases made it harder for many drivers to earn a living. While the government activated a P5,000 fuel subsidy, transport groups said the assistance is insufficient to offset their losses.
The suspended adjustment raised the minimum fare by P1 for traditional jeepneys and P2 for modern units. The suspension was lifted on Friday, Sept. 25, with the adjusted fares set to take effect on Monday, Sept. 28.
Pending petition
Perez said the reimplementation of the fare hike is not the same as the P10 increase Piston seeks.
“That P1 increase had already been approved by the LTFRB but was withdrawn,” he said in Cebuano.
He said the group’s petition for a higher fare adjustment remains pending.
Economic struggles
Perez said drivers continue to struggle with rising operating costs while workers face higher prices of basic goods.
“People need to survive; workers’ wages need to be increased. What can workers afford for transportation if fares keep rising?” he said in Cebuano.
Piston Cebu’s Sept. 25 statement said the group is seeking a P10 fare increase, a P1,200 national living wage, the removal of value-added tax and excise tax on fuel and other basic goods, a rollback of diesel prices to P55 per liter, the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law, nationalization of the oil industry and an end to the war it attributes to the US.
Piston said the nationwide strike call was issued by its national office on Sept. 22 and runs from Sept. 29 to 30.
Public understanding
Perez appealed to commuters and the public to understand the reasons behind the strike, saying it is not only about drivers’ income but about the cost of living and transportation.
“The transport strike on the 29th still stems from the issue of workers’ wages and the drivers’ living income,” Perez said in Cebuano.
He urged commuters without urgent activities on Tuesday to stay home to avoid being affected by the stoppage.
“The public already knows about the strike on Tuesday; if they do not have an important trip, they may just stay at home,” he said in Cebuano.
Perez said Piston Cebu will establish strike centers in different areas and that participating drivers will stop operating along selected routes.
He said the group expects fewer vehicles on the roads during the strike but asked the public to understand the action as part of the drivers’ effort to press the government to respond to their demands.
“That is why we are calling on the public to understand, because this is what drivers are doing to make the government listen as fuel prices continue to rise,” Perez said in Cebuano.
The strike is expected to highlight Piston Cebu’s opposition to the PUV modernization program and its call for changes in government policies affecting fuel prices and the transport sector. / CDF