Government plays down transport strike
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Wednesday that it continues to address the concerns of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators about the government’s fleet modernization program, contrary to the claim of the transport group Manibela.
Manibela has threatened to disrupt public transportation by staging a strike to coincide with President Marcos’ second State of the Nation Address, but the DOTr said 95 percent of transportation leaders pledged not to join the strike.
Speaking at the Laging Handa public briefing, the DOTr’s Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), through its chair Jesus Ferdinand Ortega, said Manibela’s accusations that the agency failed to address the drivers and operators’ concerns were “baseless.”
He said his office has received no such complaints from transport leaders and challenged the accusers to prove their allegations.
‘Unfortunate’
Ortega said officials from the DOTr and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) have been going around the provinces to explain the program and resolve the problems raised by drivers and operators.
According to him, Manibela never approached the OTC to raise issues concerning the modernization.
“The forums being conducted by the government is the venue to listen to, know and find solutions. The reaction of our transportation leaders is that they are happy with the good process,” Ortega said.
Ortega said the planned Manibela strike was “unfortunate” but added that most transportation sector leaders continue to support the government’s modernization program.
The deadline for the consolidation phase—or the period for PUV drivers and operators to set up transportation corporations or cooperatives—is still Dec. 31, 2023, Ortega said.
And around 70 percent of PUV drivers and operators in the country have consolidated and will soon be entitled to government assistance such as subsidies to buy modern jeepneys, health social insurance, greater profit shares and other benefits, he added.
The OTC will assist cooperatives that are failing by teaching them how to run a cooperative properly and providing trainings on fleet management.
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