MANILA -- The Department of Transportation (DOTr) warns that jeepney operators and drivers may face cancellation of their franchises and licenses if they join the transport strike that will be conducted by militant group PISTON on December 4 and 5 to protest the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP).
This, as DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade reminded the franchise holders of their responsibility to provide transport services to commuters and not to disrupt public convenience because of the protest actions.
“We have invited PISTON to dialogues, but still they insisted on holding strikes. Other transport groups sat down with us and we discussed the program together. Why can’t PISTON do that? I am positive that when they do, they will understand and they will agree that it is time to overhaul the public transportation system,” Tugade said in a statement Wednesday.
The transportation secretary directed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to pursue the cancellation of the franchises and licenses of the PUV operators and drivers who would participate in the transport strike.
For her part, DOTr spokesperson Asec. Leah Quiambao explained that the freedom of expression and assembly does not provide an excuse for transport groups to stage strikes that will place commuters into inconvenience.
“To be clear, we are not prohibiting jeepney operators and drivers from staging a protest rally and exercising their right to organize and assemble. What we are against is when their protest is in the form of ‘tigil pasada’ where they inconvenience the riding public,” Quiambao said in a text message to reporters.
“To hold a franchise is not a right, but a privilege granted by the state. Among the conditions upon the grant of franchise is that the PUVs will not abandon their routes or lines and prejudice our commuters. Hence, ‘tigil pasada’ is among the grounds for revocation of franchise,” she added.
Meanwhile, Undersecretary for Road Transport and Infrastructure Thomas Orbos appealed to protesters to always consider the interests of the riding public.
““It is high time for them stop prioritizing their own interests, and start considering the interest of the riding public which, for the longest time, has been clamoring for a safe, convenient and environment-friendly system of public transport,” according to Orbos.
The PUVMP has gained the support of major transport groups namely the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), Pangkalahatang Sanggunian Manila and Suburb Drivers Association Nationwide Inc., (PASANG MASDA), Land Transportation Organization of the Philippines (LTOP), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP) as well as the majority of provincial transport cooperatives nationwide.
Under the said program, jeepney units that are 15 years old will be replaced with Euro 4 engines or electrically-powered engines with solar panels for roofs. These will also be equipped with closed-circuit television cameras, a GPS navigation system, an Automatic Fare Collection System , speed limiters, dashboard cameras, and Wi-Fi. (PNA)