PISTON: Transport strike to continue until modernization program junked

The Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide or PISTON said the transport strike will continue on Tuesday.

Mody Floranda, PISTON national president, told Super Radyo dzBB that the strike would continue until President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. comes out with an executive order junking the PUV modernization program.

“Magtutulog-tuloy ang transport strike. Kaya ang sabi natin, kailangan maglabas ng isang executive order ang ating Pangulo... para ihinto ang bogus at huwad na modernization program,” Florendo said.

(The transportation strike will push through. What we’re asking is for the President  to issue an executive order to stop this bogus program.)

PISTON said on Facebook that the transportation strike was a success with 80% of Metro Manila affected. It said 100% of the major routes in the National Capital Region were "paralyzed." 

Further, the transport group rejected the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB)’s statement the December 31 deadline for franchise consolidation is still a “subject to review”, adding it seemed the agency is just “calming” the situation.

“Ang kailangang gawin ng LTFRB at DOTr [Department of Transportation] at syempre ng ating Pangulo, ‘yung matagal na po nating panawagan sa halos anim na taon na pananatili ng omnibus franchising guidelines na kung saan ito po ang puno’t dulo ng kinahaharap namin,” said Florendo.

(What the LTFRB, the DOTr, and the President should do is to stop the omnibus franchising guidelines in the modernization program.)

“Yung laging nangangamba ang mga operator. Di namin alam kinabukasan baka wala na kaming hanap-buhay. Lagi na lang bang nangangamba ang ating mga operator?,” he added.

(Our worry as operators are that we’ll lose our livelihood. Should we always live in worry?)

More than 100,000 public utility vehicles (PUVs) were expected to participate in the week-long transport strike that would last until March 12, 2023.

Several local government units and government offices offered free rides to commuters affected by the protest action.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority also suspended the number coding scheme due to the transport holiday but said it will be lifted starting Tuesday.

Malacañang, for its part, said that there had been no disruption in transportation on Monday except in some routes in Metro Manila due to the protest action. —NB, GMA Integrated News