On Monday, the transportation organization PISTON urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to halt the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program’s regulations.
“Kailangan harapin ng ating pamahalaan lalo na ni BBM na kung puwede niyang gawin ay maglabas siya ng executive order na i-suspende yung implementation nung [Department of Transportation Order No.] 2017-011 na ito, ‘yung omnibus franchising deadline,” PISTON president Mody Floranda said.
When prompted if they would call off their week-long protest if the government addressed their complaints, Floranda responded in the negative.
The central tenet of the PUVMP is Department Order No. 2017-011 or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Planning and Identification of Public Road Transportation Services and Franchise Issue.
On Monday morning, PISTON and other organizations met at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City.
Jonathan Andal said on Unang Balita that several jeepneys in Monumento, Caloocan, ceased running as early as 6:30 a.m.
While the transportation strike was scheduled to begin at 6 a.m., some commuters left their homes earlier than usual in order to catch more jeepneys on the road.
Several jeepney drivers claim that they will take part in the transportation strike in order to convey to the government the significance of this kind of transportation to the general population.
Marcos urged to stop jeepney modernization
Several of them claimed that because modern jeepneys are so pricey, they must pay for them throughout their lives. They also expressed worry about the increased maintenance costs.
Brigadier General Ponce Rogelio Quinones, the director of the Northern Police District, stated that anyone harassing drivers who decided not to participate in the strike would be arrested.
In a different interview, Romando Artes, the head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, stated that some 1,000 vehicles, including those used by local governments, are ready to provide free rides.
“May mga areas na po na medyo kinukulang ‘yung sasakyang pampubliko. Nag-deploy na po tayo doon (There are already areas lacking public transport vehicles. We already deployed vehicles offering free rides there),” he said.
He claims that the MMDA will evaluate the circumstances to determine whether the Metro Manila region’s suspension of the expanded number coding scheme should be prolonged. Only Monday was exempt from the program.
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