MANILA, Philippines — Holding another strike remains an option for the transport group Manibela if the government fails to address the concerns of drivers of public utility jeepneys (PUJs), its president Mar Valbuena revealed yesterday.
“Our meeting (with Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Thursday) was just an accident. I had an interview with RTVM and Secretary Bautista was there so we talked. He did not say many things. He reiterated the earlier statement of the President that there will be no displacement, no phaseout of jeepneys with good condition,” Valbuena told The STAR.?
He also said his group continues to count on Malacañang’s commitment to revisit the controversial PUV modernization program.
But even with this, Valbuena added that a transport strike “will always be an option, we will return to the streets.”
According to him, he asked Bautista during their meeting to prioritize the giving of assistance to drivers who need to rehabilitate or replace their PUJs.
“They should prioritize those who cannot afford the P2.8, P2.0 million needed to modernize,” he stressed, as he revealed that Marcos plans to invite all transport group leaders to a meeting.
Bautista also allegedly committed to issue another memorandum circular to address the concerns of transport groups and to review the report submitted by the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which said that at least 64 percent of the PUVs already availed of the consolidation under the modernization program.
“Of course, the meeting cannot be sealed immediately. Just like in other cases, when you go to the government, your concern will not immediately be settled, especially that the issue is big. They are also consulting with others… He told me that he is always open to a dialogue,” Valbuena noted.
Members of Manibela and Piston ended their strike on Wednesday after Valbuena and Piston president Mody Floranda met with Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil in Malacañang on Tuesday night.
“While we were talking with Secretary Cheloy, she was talking on the phone with the President, apparently reporting the results of our meeting,” Valbuena said, as he reiterated that the transport strike on March 6 was a success despite statements from the LTFRB and other agencies that the mobilization failed to paralyze transportation in the country.?
“There were no people in the streets, the government implemented contingency plans, including free rides. We were not after the commuters to be stranded, our purpose was just to hold a transport strike,” he added.
Valbuena pushed for the full suspension in the implementation of the Department of Transportation’s Department Order 2017-011 which defines the rules and requirements of the PUVMP, alongside an LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2023-013.
The policy is ordering individual operators of traditional jeepneys to stop operations should they fail to join a cooperative by Dec. 31, 2023, a deadline which was extended after the announcement of the strike.
Joining a cooperative would enable them to purchase “modernized jeeps” or minibuses – vehicles that drivers and operators claimed to be too expensive at over P2 million each. – DM