Over a thousand commuters were stranded on the streets Thursday during the first day of a transport strike led by the group PISTON, but the government swiftly provided assistance, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, meanwhile, maintained the government’s Dec. 31 consolidation deadline under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which PISTON and other groups are opposing, is non-negotiable.
Members of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor said they will push through with the last day of its strike today despite meeting with LTFRB chairman Teofilo Guadiz III, discussing new concessions on the PUVMP.
The strike has forced Muntinlupa City to suspend classes on all levels until Friday and major universities to shift their college classes online.
Despite PISTON saying it was a nationwide strike, it was unclear at presstime how widely public transport was paralyzed outside Metro Manila.
In a related development, armed men on Wednesday barged into the house of LTFRB chairman Guadiz, who believed that the intrusion, “involving three cars and over 10 armed assailants, appears to be more than a routine robbery – it seems personal, and the motive remains unclear.”
“Our family is still reeling from a recent incident where armed individuals entered our home. This traumatic experience, especially for my 91-year-old mother, has left us deeply unsettled,” he said yesterday.
Guadiz said he is now fully cooperating with authorities to investigate the matter.
As of 2 p.m. Thursday, 46 MMDA service vehicles were dispatched to different areas in the National Capital Region and served about 1,117 people.
Those assisted were mostly passengers of the jeepney routes Cubao-Divisoria, Pasig-Quiapo, and Makati via A. Francisco.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes said the Inter-Agency Task Force Monitoring team continued to focus on the situation of the roads in Metro Manila through CCTVs.
He added the agency’s Communications and Command Center received up-to-date reports from the field.
As early as 5 a.m., MMDA General Manager Usec. Procopio Lipana and MMDA Traffic Discipline Office Director for Enforcement Victor Nuñez began monitoring the condition of the streets at the command center set up in Makati City.
MMDA personnel were instructed to intensify traffic management and assist in crowd control in areas where protests are being held.The task force monitored that PISTON members started gathering in the areas of Pasig, Parañaque, and Quezon City. The Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela) is also protesting the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).The two-day protest is the fifth major transport strike this year. MMDA officials believe that the national government has reached a point where it can no longer be held hostage by defiant groups through threats and transport strikes.In a statement, LTFRB spokesperson Celine Pialago said the new concessions include the rehabilitation of jeepneys to pass requirements of the government’s PUV modernization program and translating the LTFRB’s memorandum circulars on the PUVMP to Filipino.The discussion delved into the upcoming deadline for consolidation on Dec. 31, roles of operators once they merge into cooperatives or corporations and the consolidation’s effects on PUV operators, drivers and passengers.Specifically, it was reiterated that the deadline was only for consolidation, there are no plans for a jeepney phaseout based on the orders of President Marcos Jr. and that traditional jeepneys would be able to continue operating as long as they are roadworthy.The deadline for consolidation remains “non-negotiable” and will continue as planned by year-end, she said.