Piston-led PUVs won’t ply routes over stiffer penalties, oil deregulation law

CEBU CITY – Drivers under the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) are not plying their routes today, Tuesday, to protest the continued implementation of a joint administrative order that imposes stiffer penalties on operators of colorum or illegal public utility vehicles (PUVs) and erring drivers and the oil deregulation law.

Piston Cebu head Greg Perez said they were also calling for the release of fuel subsidies.

Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 was drafted by the Land Transportation Organization (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and issued by the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) last June 4.

About 50 drivers started to converge in Barangay (village) Ibabao in Mandaue City at 7 a.m. They will proceed to Fuente Osmena circle in Cebu City.

Perez said about 300 drivers were expected to join their protest march to the Department of Energy 7 office along Gorordo Avenue in Cebu City.

They will then proceed to the LTO7 office along N Bacalso Avenue.

Perez said while they have no intention of paralyzing public transport, they were expecting their protest action to affect about 10 percent of public transportation in the cities where they have members – Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu Lapu and Liloan town in the north.

Affected Local Government Units are preparing to deploy kaoshiung buses and trucks to ferry stranded passengers.

Mandaue City will be deploying 10 vehicles that will bring passengers to malls in neighboring cities.

As of posting time, public utility jeepneys were starting to become scarce along the national highway in Mandaue City.

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