Transport strike fizzles out; fines to be reviewed

MANILA, Philippines–The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) remained unfazed by Monday’s “nationwide” transport protest involving public utility jeepney (PUJ) drivers and operators opposed to a government order imposing steeper fines for traffic violations.

However, the LTFRB is studying revisions to Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2014-01—which has come under attack from transport groups—including cutting the penalties for franchise violations by half.

The protests by the Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) on Monday included a “transport caravan” in Metro Manila, which gathered around 350 drivers and operators and 30 PUJs coming from Monumento in Caloocan City, Novaliches and Cubao in Quezon City, and Baclaran in Parañaque City.

The caravan ended in a rally outside the LTFRB office on East Avenue, Quezon City. The protesters challenged LTFRB Chair Winston Ginez to make good his earlier warning to cancel franchises of participants if the protest paralyzed public transport.

Protests elsewhere

Similar protests were held in other parts of the metro like Alabang in Muntinlupa City, Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, and in provinces like Albay, Iloilo, Cebu, Surigao del Norte and General Santos City and Davao City.

In Cagayan de Oro City, the transport strike led by the Solidarity of Transport Alliance in Northern Mindanao-Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Starex-Piston) crippled several areas, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded Monday morning.

Senior Supt. Faro Antonio Olaguera, Cagayan de Oro police chief, said there was “80 percent transport paralysis”in the western part of the city.

The Piston rallies sought to dramatize the group’s opposition to the JAO, implemented in June, which imposed higher fines on public utility vehicles operating without or outside of their franchises: as high as P1 million for buses; P200,000 for trucks; P50,000 for jeepneys; P200,000 for vans; P120,000 for sedans; and P6,000 for motorcycles.

Piston national president George San Mateo said the protests were designed to “catch the attention of the Supreme Court” to expedite the hearing of a pending petition by transport groups to stop the implementation of the JAO and have it declared as unconstitutional.

Triumphant

San Mateo said the protests were “triumphant” in gathering the support of the transport sector, with some PUJ drivers and operators in Metro Manila volunteering to go on strike.

“In our caravan, we noticed that PUJs plying the Parañaque area decreased by 98 percent, those in the Monumento area by around 70 percent, and those in Alabang by 85 percent,” San Mateo said.

He said a strike declared by Piston members in northern Mindanao was also able to paralyze public transport in the region by 90 percent.

However, Ginez said the LTFRB field offices reported no transport paralysis in Metro Manila or the provinces.

Ginez said the protest actions yielded “minimal” inconvenience even as the issues raised by Piston were already discussed during public consultations, which had “already been noted.”

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said traffic was manageable on Monday in areas where Piston held its transport strike.

MMDA chair Francis Tolentino said moderate traffic was experienced by motorists only along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday morning.–With reports from Maricar B. Brizuela and Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao