Transport strike to be held by PISTON from November 20-23, 2023

The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) on Wednesday announced a nationwide transport strike that will be held next week in protest of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP).

PISTON said the transport strike will take place starting next Monday, November 20, and will last until next Thursday, November 23, 2023, ahead of the government’s December 31, 2023 deadline to comply with the guidelines.

“Masaker ito sa ating kabuhayan sa pamamagitan ng pang-aagaw sa ating prangkisa, upang magbigay-daan sa monopolyo kontol ng malalaking korporasyon sa transportasyon,” it said.

(This is a massacre on our livelihood through the seizure of our franchise to give way to the monopoly of large corporations in transportation.)

The PUV modernization program started in 2017, aiming to replace jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution, but drivers and operators complained about the costs which can hit over P2 million.

Transport officials, however, clarified that traditional jeepneys can still operate beyond the set deadline, provided that they join transport cooperatives to prevent “on-street competition” among drivers and operators.

The government originally set a June 30, 2023 deadline, but this was extended to the end of the year following the announcement of a transport strike from March 6 to 12, 2023.

The week-long transport strike was cut short after representatives of PISTON and Manibela met with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil and the Office of the Executive Secretary Undersecretary Roy Cervantes.

For his part, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he wants to ensure that no driver will lose their job over the PUVMP.

"Ang problema na kanilang sinasabi ay baka hindi sila mapautang para makapagbili ng bagong sasakyan kaya't yan ang tinitignan namin ngayon na tiyakin na walang mawawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi nakapagbili ng electric vehicle pagdating ng panahon," Marcos said back in March.

(The problem they were saying was they might not secure a loan to buy a new vehicle so we are looking at ensuring that no one will lose their job if ever they fail to buy an electric vehicle.)

The Department of Transportation also previously said that the government will review the 2017 Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, which serves as the framework for the PUVMP.

"Rereviewhin ang Omnibus Franchising Guidelines. Kaya nga sabi ko importante ang dialogue kasi nga mapaguusapan natin ‘yan,"  Bautista said earlier this year.

"Lumabas ito noong 2017 pa (This was released in 2017). Now it’s 2023, so there’s really a need to review it," the Transportation chief added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News