DOTr denies jeepney drivers are being deprived of routes

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday denied the claims of MANIBELA, which is planning to set a three-day transport strike next week, that some traditional jeepney drivers and operators are being deprived of routes in favor of corporations.

In a statement, the DOTr said it “denies the accusations of MANIBELA’s Mr. Valbuena that the agency failed to address the various concerns of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators.”

On Wednesday, Valbuena announced that a transport strike is set to be conducted on July 24 to 26, coinciding with the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

The transport strike, Valbuena said, will be done to get the attention of the government to resolve the issues of the traditional jeepney sector as he claimed that they are being deprived of routes by local governments and corporations under the government's route rationalization plan.

Under the PUV modernization program, traditional jeepney drivers and operators are required to form cooperatives or corporations with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) providing the cooperatives with routes.

The group also claimed that routes are up for bidding for up to P5 million, and that this is happening in the National Capital Region and Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas and Ilocos regions.

“The DOTr challenges MANIBELA to prove their allegations with concrete proof and evidence,” the Transport Department said.

GMA News Online reached out to Valbuena for comment. He said he will be issuing a statement “later or tomorrow (Friday).”

The DOTr, along with the LTRFRB and the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), said they “have been in the past many weeks engaged in consultations with our PUV drivers and operators regarding their concerns such as the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP).”

“The LTFRB has always been fair in implementing its mandate based on the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) either to corporations or cooperatives,” it said.

The DOTr said it is open and willing to hold dialogues with any group who has legitimate concerns and vows to address such concerns through consultations and forum.

“Clearly, their planned ‘strike’ is intended to gain media attention and public sympathy, but not to address the legitimate concerns of PUV drivers and operators,” it said.

“Their group is free to stage any form of protest. However, DOTr will not be held hostage. The whole country and innocent commuters will not be blackmailed every time this group does not get what it wants,” it added. —Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA Integrated News