We’re making sure transport strike won’t cause trouble – VP Duterte

Vice President Sara Duterte meets with MMDA officials about the three-day transport strike that started on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Photo from her Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — The government is working to make sure that the transport strike does not cause trouble, Vice President Sara Duterte said on Monday.

She was referring to the three-day transport strike staged by jeepney group Piston starting on Monday, Nov. 20, to protest the government’s refusal to remove the franchise consolidation component of the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.

“We are making sure that we are giving importance to actions and efforts that seek to avoid causing traffic problems and the riding public is not troubled,” Duterte said in a Facebook post.

Duterte, who was currently acting as the country’s caretaker while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was in the US, held a briefing with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board authorities.

Duterte added that the Office of the Vice President has provided buses for free rides in Cubao to Divisoria and Quiapo to Divisoria, routes where the MMDA expected stranded passengers.