ILOILO City – Transport cooperatives and corporations in Region 6 warned members against joining the nationwide three-day transport strike by certain groups operating traditional jeepneys set for Nov. 20 to Nov. 22.
Rizalito Alido, president of the Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations, Inc. (WVATCCI), cautioned particularly those operating and driving traditional jeepneys who have not yet upgraded to modernized units.
Joining the strike violates their cooperative’s agreement with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), he said.
“We are strictly monitoring our members. Any member found participating in the strike will face permanent expulsion, as this act disregards their cooperative membership,” Alido told Panay News.
If any member from a cooperative or corporation route is caught by LTFRB joining the strike, the entire cooperative, not just the driver caught, will receive a show-cause-order, he said.
Since the franchise is consolidated, it’s not just one unit of the concerned route that will have to explain to the LTFRB but all units under that route, he explained.
Alido cited the example of the UNGKA (ITGSI) – CPU route, which has 40 units of modernized and traditional jeepneys operating under WVATCCI. If one traditional jeepney from this route joins the strike, the remaining 39 units on the route will also be subject to the show cause order.
“In a route, we have a single franchise. If one out of 40 misbehaves and stops operating, all 40 units will be affected as we will all receive a show cause order. So, whom should I favor? The one who joined the strike or the 39? We will expel the one who joined to prevent affecting the 39 units,” Alido said.
As of now, out of 300 units granted by LTFRB to operate under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), only 28 units have been modernized under WVATCCI, with more than 270 units still traditional jeepneys, but with consolidated franchises after joining the cooperative.
Alido assures that 100 percent of both modernized and traditional jeepneys under WVATCCI will operate from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, and commuters need not worry.
“In the city of Iloilo, there’s nothing to worry about. We have enough units,” said Alido.
The members of WVATCCI include:
* Molo Transport Service Cooperative
* Santa Barbara – New Lucena Transport Service Cooperative
* Aerostar Transport Cooperative
* Iloilo Superman Owners and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* Iloilo City Alliance Operators and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* JJL Transport Corporation
* Pavia Iloilo Jeepney Owners and Drivers Transport Cooperative
* Joroshley Transport Services Incorporated
* Western Visayas Transport Cooperative
* Leon Transport Service Cooperative
* Calumpang Iloilo Service Transport Cooperative
Edgar Salarda, president of the Alliance for Peace Sustainable Development Transport Cooperative operating the Hibao-an, Mandurriao route, echoed this warning. He said his over 30 members cannot stop operating as they formed the cooperative in support of the government’s modernization program.
“We strongly urge our members not to halt operations and to continue our services on Monday,” Salarda told Panay News.
Currently, Salarda’s cooperative has not received any modernized units, so they continue operating traditional jeepneys.
Salarda is also one of the lead convenors of the “No to Transport Strike Coalition” in Panay Island, supporting the national government’s modernization program.
Similarly, Raymundo “Boyet” Parcon, president of the Western Visayas Transport Cooperative (WVTC), said they will not join the nationwide transport strike, showing their support for the government’s modernization program.
“We will operate on Monday, there will be no suspension of services as we are now a cooperative,” said Parcon.
On Nov. 16, Warren Gangoso, president of the “No to PUV Phaseout Coalition-Panay” and president of the Villa Transport Association, announced that 80 to 90 percent of the 2,500 consolidated and unconsolidated traditional jeepneys in the city and province of Iloilo will join the nationwide transport strike organized by Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon, (Manibela), to protest the upcoming deadline for the consolidation of traditional public utility jeepneys on Dec. 31, 2023.
“For us, this forced consolidation is unjust. Our vehicles and franchises were bought with our hard-earned money. Many drivers struggled to buy a jeep. So, we are joining the transport strike,” said Gangoso.
However, Gangoso requested the media not to mention the routes and associations committed to joining the strike, as he does not want them to face repercussions from LTFRB in the form of show cause orders. /PN
