Cebu drivers won’t join Metro Manila TVNS strike
CEBU CITY–Drivers in Cebu of cars enrolled in ride-hailing apps will not join their counterparts in Metro Manila in a strike on Monday (July 8).
Cebu drivers said while they sympathized with their Metro Manila colleagues, they didn’t want to inconvenience commuters.
“A lot of passengers will be affected,” said Michael Malaque, a spokesperson for a group of drivers enrolled in Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) companies.
Malaque said not only passengers but also drivers’ incomes would be hurt by the strike. “So what we will do is just ask the government to hear us out,” he said.
Malaque said his group wrote instead to President Rodrigo Duterte and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade seeking an increase in the number of certificates of public convenience (CPC) for vehicles enrolled in TVNS apps without requiring their owners to obtain franchises.
The drivers said they are appealing to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to shorten the process of issuing the certificates.
Article continues after this advertisementDrivers currently wait up to six or more months for the certificates.
Article continues after this advertisementAt least 3,000 vehicles enrolled in TVNS apps currently ply Cebu. Majority have no certificates of public conveyance. Only 500 vehicles had been issued certificates.
In their letter, the drivers appealed for the issuance of at least 3,000 certificates. The LTFRB earlier announced that at least 1,500 vehicles were at risk of being deactivated by ride-hailing app firm Grab for lack of papers.
In a separate interview, LTFRB chair Martin Delgra III said the number of certificates for Cebu would stay at 1,500 which had all been taken already.
Informed of the Cebu drivers’ appeal, Delgra said he has yet to receive a formal request.
“If there is a problem, let us talk,” Delgra said.
“Let us not inconvenience the public by staging a transport holiday which is similar to a transport strike,” said Delgra, who is in Cebu for the launch of a government driver scholarship program. (Editor: Tony Bergonia)
