Piston says seizure of unconsolidated PUVs a ‘deliberate massacre’

FILE PHOTO: Transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) holds a strike on December 14, 2023. Arnel Tacson, INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — A transport group described as a “deliberate massacre” the government’s move to start capturing unconsolidated public utility vehicles (PUVs) from Thursday, May 16.

The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) also decried it as an “attack” on the public’s right to accessible and cheap public transport.

Unconsolidated PUVs are now considered “colorum” as the April 30 deadline for them to consolidate under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which seeks to replace old units with more modern models, already lapsed.

READ: SC asks DOTr, LTFRB to comment on PUV modernization TRO plea

Even the 15-day grace period that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Transportation likewise gave to drivers and operators to join cooperatives for consolidation ended on Wednesday, May 15.

Starting Thursday, unconsolidated PUVs will no longer be permitted to use roads as a public transport vehicle.

However, according to Piston, the government has yet to present concrete plans to support the livelihoods of PUV drivers and operators who opted not to join jeepney cooperatives.

“This underscores the failure of the corporate-driven and foreign-oriented public transport modernization program – a program that has left many transport workers and commuters in dire straits,” Piston said in a statement Thursday.

READ: LTFRB says unconsolidated PUVs will be apprehended starting May 16

Piston and another public transport group, Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyo or Manibela, staged a protest in front of the LTFRB office in Quezon City.

Piston and Manibela denounced the government’s massive crackdown on unconsolidated jeepneys.

“The Marcos regime’s heavy-handed approach cannot be justified. By apprehending jeepney drivers and operators, it exacerbates the suffering faced by commuters – workers and students – grappling with growing unemployment,” Piston said.

The LTFRB said in a statement also on Thursday that personnel from the Land Transportation Office, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and Philippine National Police will check the documents of PUVs which should be displayed on the dashboards or windshields of the vehicles.

“Authorities will check the serial number on the document issued by the LTFRB displayed on their jeepneys during the operations that started on May 16,” the regulatory body said.