TRANSPORT groups Piston and Manibela set a nationwide transport strike next week amid the looming deadline for the consolidation of public utility jeepneys (PUV) under the government’s PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Manibela president Mar Valbuena said the two-day transport strike will start on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Piston national president Mody Floranda maintained their opposition against the PUV consolidation policy, which requires drivers/operators to consolidate into a cooperative to ensure the renewal of their franchises of provisional authority.
The PUV consolidation will later lead to the replacement of traditional jeepneys with modern units that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine or an electric engine to lessen pollution.
On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the April 30 deadline for the consolidation of PUVs is final.
Marcos assured that the PUVMP will not be a burden to the drivers and operators as he noted the government subsidy for modern PUV’s.
Under the program, drivers/operators will receive a government subsidy, which is between P200,000 and P300,000 per vehicle, to help them cope financially.
They will also be assisted for bank financing transactions.
Piston and Manila also held a transport strike in January over the same concern.
As of March 2024, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said that 80 percent of the PUVs in the country have already complied with the consolidation policy.
Meanwhile, in a press conference in Camp Crame, Philippine National Police chief of the Public Information Office Colonel Jean Fajardo said they are ready to provide assistance to the commuters who will be affected by the transport strike. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)