MMDA said PISTON transport strike peaceful, had minimal effects

The three-day transport strike of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) was generally peaceful and orderly, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting chairman Romando Artes said Thursday.

In a public briefing, Artes also said the strike had minimal effects and disruptions on public transportation.

“May ibang insidente lang po, report ng insidente ng harassment na agad naman po naaddress ng ating kapulisan na di naman po nauwi sa any violence,” said Artes.

(There was a reported incident of harassment but it was immediately addressed by the police.)

He also added that the Interagency Task Force on Tigil-Pasada was able to accommodate the needs of passengers affected by the strike.

“Meron po tayong inihanda sa total na 686 na sasakyan para po tumugon nga sa pasahero na walang masakyan at, out of that number, wala pa po yata 100 'yung aming nai-dispatch,” he added.

(We prepared a total of 686 vehicles to transport commuters who will be affected by the strike but out of that number, less than 100 were utilized.)

The PISTON transport strike was conducted from November 20 to 23 in protest of the December 31 deadline given to jeepney operators to enlist in the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.

The area most affected by the strike was Malabon, Caloocan, and Parañaque, in addition to small picket areas with over 20 to 30 demonstrators, all of which have returned to normal operations despite the ongoing strike by transport group MANIBELA.

“Wala na po [effect], in fact wala na po kaming dinispatch na libreng sakay ngayong araw na ito as of this morning (There was no effect, in fact we no longer dispatched vehicles for free rides this morning),” said Artes. 

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, on Tuesday, has said that the group's demands for waiving of penalty, extension of franchise of up to five years, and the relieving of some of the provisions of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) were doable and that they will be studying said demands.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/AOL, GMA Integrated News