Transport strikes in Philippine history

Transport groups announced last week that they would hold a weeklong strike in various cities across the Philippines from March 6 to 12, 2023, to protest the proposed Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program. The program aims to make our public transportation system more efficient and environmentally friendly, including replacing jeepneys, buses, and other Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) that are at least 15 years old with safer, more comfortable, and environmentally-friendly alternatives over the next three years. The last major transport strike happened on September 30, 2019, when the group PISTON protested said modernization plans.

Historically, transport strikes are not new as even before jeepneys became public vehicles, transport groups staging strikes were already quite common. As early as the 1920s, railroad strikes and transport strikes were reported in Manila. In 1946, workers of the Manila Railroad Company went on strike from January 15 to 30 to demand higher wages, affecting transport and communications facilities.

In February 1956, jeepney operators and drivers held a strike in Manila to oppose the campaign of the LGU against “reckless drivers”. At that time, many drivers and operators without franchise yet were still allowed to operate on a provisional status, which in turn created a lot of recklessness among these new drivers.

In the 1970s, a report said that jeepneys were economical and efficient despite the periodic transport strikes in 1970 and 1971 caused by increasing oil prices. In February of 1971, public transport workers in Manila and other parts of the country went on strike for an indefinite duration beginning February 1 to oppose price increase in petroleum products. Traffic in Manila and other places came to a standstill and businesses were paralyzed as walkouts were staged by transport groups in 37 provinces and cities. In Dagupan, for instance, some 2,000 pedicab drivers joined the strike. Even 95% of fishermen and boatmen joined the strikes.

Senator Ninoy Aquino’s assassination in 1984 caused many strikes in the Philippines, which were the most prolonged strikes since the 1940s, paralyzing major areas in Manila and Central Luzon, Davao City, CDO, Butuan, Cebu, and Bacolod. Even filmmakers like Lino Brocka joined these strikes and on January 28, 1985 he and fellow filmmaker Behn Cervantes were arrested at a nationwide transport strike. After President Marcos’s ouster and since President Aquino became president, oil prices continued to be the issue, and by 1987 constant strikes were held protesting these oil price hikes, although it was noted that the middle class, considered a major player in the EDSA uprising just a year before, was absent from these strikes.

In July 1991, President Cory Aquino downplayed the nationwide strike held protesting the continued increase in oil prices. Despite threats of massive participation of transport groups, Aquino reiterated that there would be no rollback of oil prices. Buses were allowed to ply the main thoroughfares in Manila and security teams escorted government-operated transport units to protect commuters from troublemakers.

The strike this week is not the first time transport groups are protesting the government’s modernization plans. From 2017 to 2019, jeepney drivers held protests to oppose the jeepney phaseout plan in a series of strikes, which started on February 6, and caused hundreds of passengers to be stranded and schools and LGUs to suspend classes.

Both the government and transport groups believe they are fighting for every Juan de la Cruz. That may be true, but unless the government comes up with a clear plan on how its program will not bring great suffering to current jeepney drivers, and unless transport groups can see the value in modernizing, these strikes will continue. In the early days it was for higher wages and lower oil prices. Today, it is about the modernization program. Whatever the issue, in the end it will always be the public, especially the students and ordinary workers, who suffer the most.