Jeepney drivers who joined transport strike face penalty, warns LTFRB

Jeepney drivers and operators who joined Monday’s transport strike should expect to be summoned before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to explain why their franchise to operate should not be suspended or revoked.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada told reporters that they had already directed the National Capital Region office to identify the franchise owners in areas affected by the strike led by the Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator ng Pilipinas Genuine Organization (Stop & Go) Transport Coalition.

Among the routes where the protest was felt were Baclaran-Nichols, Valenzuela- Karuhatan, and Market! Market!-C5 Road-FTI.

“We can’t sit down and wait for the next strike. It’s becoming a cycle. We have to learn and we need to put things in order. The LTFRB is your regulatory body. We need to do something,” Lizada said, adding that they would soon issue show cause orders to the operators and drivers concerned.

She pointed out that under LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2011-004, operators of public utility vehicles “shall not resort to cessation of service as a sign or demonstration of protest against any government decision or action.”

Stop & Go president Jun Magno said that they went on strike to express their objection to the government’s supposed plan to phase out jeepney units that had been operating for 15 years or more. Transport Undersecretary Anneli Lontoc, however, had earlier explained that the phaseout of “aging” jeepney units would not be done abruptly.

“It shall be implemented gradually. The process of modernizing [jeepneys] by introducing new units, propelled by engines using environmentally friendly fuels, is to be spread out within the approved duration in the context of the program’s objective,” Lontoc said in a December letter to transport leader Efren de Luna.

She added that the government would also assist affected drivers and operators in acquiring loans for the transition.

To reduce the impact of Monday’s strike on commuters, the government pre-positioned more than 200 vehicles to ferry them to their destination. As of noon on Monday, Lizada said that they deployed only 82 vehicles, 60 of which were private buses with a maximum capacity of 50 passengers.

Magno claimed that their strike was able to paralyze “80 percent” of transportation in Metro Manila, especially in Caloocan City and the Novaliches and Commonwealth areas. But Lizada noted that contrary to Stop & Go’s claim that theirs was a “nationwide” strike, participation was sporadic and limited to some areas in Metro Manila and Bulacan province.

She said they also received reports that those who did not join the strike were harassed, a claim denied by Magno who apologized to affected commuters. But at the same time, he said they were preparing to mount a second protest. –Jovic Yee