ILOILO City – Jeepney drivers and operators that staged a transport strike on July 24 were issued with show cause orders by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region 6. That’s harassment, according to the No to PUV Phase-out Coalition-Panay.
The coalition staged a protest on Friday in front of the LTFRB-6 office in Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro district here to denounce the agency’s latest move.
The July 24 transport strike was a protest against the phase out of traditional jeepneys that, according to drivers and operators, would displace their families economically.
But it wasn’t only the drivers and operators of traditional jeepneys that joined the strike timed with the second State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Disgruntled members of modern jeepney transport cooperatives participated, too. They have gripes also. And having received show cause orders for striking, they joined Friday’s protest.
LTFRB-6 should not quell their right to express grievances, said Robert Ventura, operator and driver of a Tagbak-Jaro Liko-City Proper traditional jeepney.
He claimed many of his colleagues felt coerced and/or duped into consolidating their ranks to form modernized jeepney transport cooperatives, then they were assured of getting P500 per day or P15,000 per month cooperative dividends.
“They have been waiting for their dividends for four years now but haven’t received even a centavo,” said Ventura in Hiligaynon.
Driving a traditional jeepney was his sole source of income, according to Ventura, and through this he was able to send his children to school, just like many others jeepney drivers.
“Our children may not be able to go to school anymore. They’re taking away our livelihood, and now they’re taking away our right to express our grievances,” Ventura lamented.
The government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) promotes environment-friendly public transport that’s also safer for public use. This, however, concomitantly means getting rid of old jeepneys that are deemed to be polluting the environment and not safe enough for the commuting public.
One member of a transport cooperative who joined the July 24 strike and received a show cause order was Edwin Chiva. He revealed having decided to get out of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC) because of the unfulfilled promise of P500 per day.
He urged LTFRB-6 to allow the return of individually-operated and franchised traditional jeepneys.
Wilma Teorima, operator of a Villa Baybay-Mohon traditional jeepney, agreed. She said many of them were scared of economic dislocation thus they consolidated themselves into a transport cooperative. But the promised monetary returns never came.
“Return to us our individual jeepney franchises, our Official Receipts and Certificates of Registration. We oppose the phase out of our traditional jeepneys. We’re better off with them as our sources of income,” said Teorima in Hiligaynon.
The No to PUV Phaseout Coalition-Panay lead convenor, Elmer Forro, summarized the demands of the protesting jeepney drivers and operators, as follows:
* suspend the implementation of the PUVMP while reviewing the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines
* restore the five-year validity of the franchises of traditional jeepneys
* review Local Public Transport Route Plan; restore old PUV routes in the meantime
* restore the sale-and-transfer of franchises to operators
* provide support and assistance to drivers and operators
“Nagreklamo lang ang drivers kag operators, pagwa-an dayun nila sang show cause order? Tani sabton nila sang matarong ang problema,” said Forro.
Jeepney drivers and operators were being pushed against the wall, he lamented.
He recalled that on July 4 the No to PUV Phaseout Coalition-Panay, traditional jepeney drivers and operators sought an audience or dialog with LTFRB-6 but during the July 18 meeting, only the leaders of the transport cooperatives were invited to the venue that was not even broadly announced.
Around a hundred traditional jeepney drivers and operators, and disgruntled members of transport cooperatives joined Friday’s protest.
LTFRB-6 SPEAKS
LTFRB-6 legal counsel Atty. Salvador Altura dismissed the protest.
“There’s nothing new sa ila ginahambal. Kapila na nila ina ginhambal sa nagkalain-lain nga forum, indi lang sa kilid sang karsada kundi sa iban nga formal gatherings,” said Altura.
He also played down the role of LTFRB-6 in the PUVMP implementation, saying the regional office is just a “frontline implementor” of the programs and projects of the national government through the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Altura suggested that the protesters bring their concerns to the DOTr central office or even Congress.
But he defended the PUVMP. While it is not a law, he said, this is a DOTr program and the agency has the authority to enforce it.
As for the P500 per day dividend, Altura said he could not recall LTFRB-6 making such a promise.
More likely, he said, this is an internal agreement between transport cooperatives and operator-members.
“Waay ako ya kabalo kon may commitment ang cooperatives sa ila members. As far as LTFRB is concerened, wala kami sang policy nga P500 per day,” stressed Altura.
Regarding the show cause order, Altura confirmed that those who were issued – mainly members of five transport cooperatives – have five days to explain why they joined the July 24 transport strike.
“Ang pag-participate sa strike is a violation sang terms and conditions sang imo franchise. A specific condition prohibits participation sa mass actions,” said Altura./PN
