MANILA, Philippines — The commuting public should brace for longer waiting times to get a ride as the two-day transport strike to protest the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP) will start today.
The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) said it would push through with its transport strike today and tomorrow following President Marcos’ pronouncement that the yearend deadline for PUV operators’ consolidation will not be extended.
“After Bongbong Marcos announced yesterday (Tuesday) that he won’t grant an extension of the consolidation of the franchises, jeepney operators and drivers all over the country have become more determined to push through with the strike,” Piston president Mody Floranda said in Filipino.
Floranda earlier said that over 100,000 units could join the strike and that they could paralyze major transport routes in Metro Manila and in the provinces.
The group is protesting the Dec. 31 deadline for consolidation under the government’s PUVMP.
The transport group claimed that over 140,000 drivers and 60,000 operators nationwide would be adversely affected by the PUVMP.
It will also affect more than 28.5 million commuters who depend on mass transportation in the country.
Despite the transport strike, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is keeping mum on its preparations on how it will serve affected commuters.
During the weeklong transport strike last month by Piston and Manibela, the groups claimed that their action was able to paralyze 90 percent of major routes in Metro Manila.
The LTFRB claimed that 70 percent of PUVs have complied with the consolidation requirement, but Piston said this number could be only around 26 percent for jeepneys in Metro Manila and 36 percent for UV Express.
Over 68,830 PUVs that could be left without franchises and will not be allowed to ply their routes by Jan. 1, 2024 if the consolidation requirement is not relaxed.
Data from the LTFRB showed that a total of 153,787 units of jeepneys, UV Express and buses are set to be consolidated as of the end of December.
The agency said that 262,653 transport operators, drivers and workers have joined the PUVMP and have consolidated into entities.
MMDA ready
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it would prepare for the transport strike today and tomorrow despite its expectation that it would have a “minimal impact.”
The Office of the Executive Secretary headed by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevarra has convened an inter-agency task force that will monitor the potential effects of the transport strike organized by Piston, according to MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes.
The task force will also put up its “multi-agency command center” at the MMDA Metrobase in Makati City, where the agency previously held office before transferring to Pasig City, Artes told reporters at a briefing yesterday.
He said that the task force would check if areas in the Camanava or the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela, as well as Parañaque City, would be filled with stranded commuters.
He added that the MMDA and the local government units (LGU) of the 17 cities in Metro Manila would prepare the deployment of augmentation vehicles to carry passengers who might not be able tp get a ride on jeepneys, buses and other PUVs.
Artes noted that during the last transport strike held by Piston and Manibela last month, 686 vehicles were deployed to carry stranded passengers.
He maintained, however, that the transport strike by Piston would have “minimal effect” on public transportation due to what he believes was a quick response of the government.
“I can say that the preparations and the response of the government was effective – there was minimal disruption in the public transport, and we will continue with that kind of response,” he said in English and Filipino.
The MMDA chief shared that the agency has learned to improve its response through faster coordination with other government agencies, particularly the police, for law enforcement efforts.
Despite the improvements in response, Artes said the MMDA would not “take lightly” the transport strike as the government might be caught off-guard.
“Despite the minimal impact, we are always preparing for it because that is the service we need to render to our citizens to ensure minimal impact and inconvenience. We’ll still prepare,” he added.
A majority of public transport drivers and operators have “signified they would not join the transport strike,” according to the MMDA chief.
Piston previously announced it would hold a two-day strike as it continues to oppose the Dec. 31 deadline for consolidation. It claimed that around 100,000 drivers nationwide would join the strike.
Artes also announced that the MMDA would not suspend the expanded number coding scheme, maintaining that doing so could make major roads in Metro Manila more congested, especially during the Christmas season when a lot of parties are being held.
He added that an additional 20 percent in the volume of vehicles during the suspension of the number coding policy would also result in slower turnaround of public utility vehicles, which could cause more stranded passengers.
4,000 cops
Meanwhile, more than 4,000 police personnel will be deployed in Metro Manila during the two-day transport strike that will begin today, according to the National Capital Region Police Office.
The NCRPO said at least 1,039 cops would be deployed in Quezon City, while 1,045 would be posted in Manila.
The remaining police personnel will cover the southern, eastern and northern areas of Metro Manila.
Apart from police personnel, the NCRPO will also dispatch a total of 147 service vehicles across the metropolis to provide free rides to commuters who will be affected by the transport strike. – Ghio Ong, Nillicent Bautista, Emmanuel Tupas, Michelle Zoleta