By Alexandria San Juan and Jan Carlo Anolin Some 35,000 ride-sharing drivers and operators nationwide are expected to participate in the first "transport holiday" to be staged next week as part of their continuous protest against their so-called "pahirap policies" of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Different Transport Network Vehicle Service (TNVS) groups hold a press conference at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, Thursday, July 4, 2019, announcing the first-ever "TNVS Transport Holiday" in the country, dubbed as #LabanTNVS which is set on July 8, Monday, in Quezon City. Hatchback drivers of TNVS also announced that they will file a case against the LTFRB. (KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / MANILA BULLETIN) Members of TNVS (Transport Network Vehicle Service) Community, an umbrella group of TNVS operators and drivers announced in a press conference in Quezon City on Thursday that they will temporarily go offline on Monday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. as part of the transport holiday. Apart from going offline, various TNVS groups will also gather in three protest camps in Quezon City, Manila, and in Pasay City where simultaneous protest actions will be held during the whole-day program. "This is not like the ordinary transport strike. Binibigayn po namin ng kalayaan ang bawat isang organization kung ano ang gagawin nila sa Monday. Some will have a vigil, some will have a caravan, others will be filing cases," Ariel Inton of Lawyers for Commuters's Safety and Protection (LCSP) said. According to Inton who was also supporting the TNVS community, the upcoming transport holiday is a way for the drivers and operators to be heard on their call to address the plight of their fellow members. "This transport holiday ay hindi lang po sa kalye kundi sa lahat ng aspeto hanggang makarating po ang kanilang mga hinaing na tutulan na at tuldukan ang pahirap policy sa LTFRB," Inton told reporters. For the part of the TNVS providers, Ninoy Mopas, president of TNVS group Thug Philippines, explained that they do not want to put the burden on the shoulders of commuters who will be affected by the transport holiday and assured that this will be a peaceful and non-violent protest. "Ayaw din namin maapektuhan ang riding public. Ginagawa po namin ito para maiparating ang aming mga hinaing. Hindi po ito isang marahas na pagkilos," Mopas said. Mopas, and other leaders of TNVS drivers and operators groups attended Thursday's media briefing to discuss a number of issues the community is currently facing. The TNVS Community added that the scheduled transport holiday next week is only a start of their series of activities to be conducted in the following days to continuously raise their issues against the LTFRB. Last week, different TNVS groups sent a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte and Transportation Arthur Tugade to intervene and help the LTFRB in solving issues surrounding the ride-hailing market in the country. Among the issues raised by the organization heads in the letter as well as in the press conference were the "demanding process" and "inconsistent requirements" of the agency in applying for a franchise to operate as a ride-hailing car. According to the operators and drivers, these sudden changes in the policy of LTFRB, as well as the "poor and slow" processing of certificate of public convenience (CPC) and provisional authority (PA), had consumed much of their time which should be used in their livelihoods. The TNVS Community also urged the LTFRB to issue a moratorium on the increasing numbers of reported apprehensions of TNVS drivers. Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Hatchback Community reiterated their call to the LTFRB adhere to its memorandum circular allowing hatchbacks as TNVS. In an interview over radio DZMM, Jun De Leon, chairman of Metro Manila Hatchback TNVS Community, said they also plan to go offline from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Monday. The protest will last indefinitely, he added. “Magpapatuloy ito hanggang ganyang sinasabotahe binababoy ng LTFRB ‘yung sistema nila,” De Leon told radio DZMM. On June 10, at least 1,225 hatchback cars were deactivated by its regulators as ride-sharing units, De Leon said. Grab Philippines deactivated the TNVS partners who failed to complete their requirements for franchise. READ MORE: https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/04/grab-philippines-urges-partners-to-resolve-pain-points-through-dialogue/ The chairman claimed that these drivers cried before them after allegedly losing their jobs since this was their only source of livelihood. “’Di ko po alam bakit ‘yung ibang hatchback cars tinatanggap nila samantalang ‘yung iba hindi nila tinatanggap ‘pag nag-apply ng provisional authority,” he said. “Namimili po sila kung sino gusto nilang tanggapin. Siguro depende sa mood nila. ‘Pag pangit ‘yung mood nila, ‘di nila tatanggapin,” De Leon added. De Leon also questioned LTFRB’s safety issues for passengers when riding a hatchback car for TNVS. “Kapag ang hatchback private, safe ‘yan ‘pag ginamit mo sa TNVS, ‘di na safe,” he said. Because of this, some of their TNVS drivers tend to resort to their own ways of picking up their passengers. “’Yung iba po talagang pilit na lumalabas, ta’s sinusundan na lang ‘yung mga taxi. ‘Pag hindi sinakay ‘yung mga taxi, pinapakiusapan nila ‘yung mga pasahero para sila ang magsakay,” he said. DZMM tried to contact LTFRB but to no avail. LTFRB has yet to comment on the issue.