Week-long transport strike ends just after 2 days

PISTON and Manibela conclude transport strike after meeting with Malacanan

What was supposed to be a week-long transport strike ended just after a couple of days. You read right, the transport strike organized by PISTON and Manibela has officially concluded.

This comes after PISTON president Mody Floranda and the leader of Manibela Mar Valbuena met with members of Malacanan and the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) last Tuesday afternoon. There, PCO Secretary Cheloy Garafil, the former chair of the LTFRB, met with Valbuena and Floranda.

During the meeting, the representatives of the two transport groups aired their grievances about the government's PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP). In addition, both parties were able to come to an agreement about what can be changed about the said modernization program.

After the meeting, Manibela posted on its Facebook page that there will be no phaseout of the jeepney. Moreover, Manibela leader Valbuena shared that they will resume plying their routes today and issued an apology to the commuters affected by their strike.

As for the PUV Modernization program, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the DOTr and LTFRB to use the deadline extension for the consolidation to review the provisions of Department Order No. 2017-011, AKA the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines. This is to ensure that every aspect of the program implementation is considered, including the grievances aired by the drivers and operators.

Moreover, the President has ordered the DOTr and LTFRB to conduct in-depth and extensive consultations that will ensure the smooth implementation of the PUVMP in order to help the drivers, operators, and commuters.

With PISTON and Manibela ending their strike early, expect to see more jeepneys plying the roads once more starting today. We can also expect schools to restart face-to-face classes now that the transport strike has officially ended.