Several jeepney operators and drivers plying routes in Marikina and Pasig City braved the scorching heat as they protested against the national government's Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) one day before the franchise consolidation deadline on Tuesday, April 30.
(Photos from Mayday Multimedia and Tanggol Pasada Network-Marikina)
The protesting drivers and operators said consolidation should be called "condolence" since the PUVMP will result in the loss of livelihood for thousands of them.
"Bahagi lamang ang mga tsuper at operator ng Marikina sa mga tumayang makikiisa sa welga na ikakasa ngayong araw. Inaasahang magtutuloy tuloy ang pagtitipon ng mga drivers, operators at sumusuportang komyuter sa iba't ibang panig ng National Capital Region (NCR) at buong Pilipinas (Jeepney drivers and operators here in Marikina are just part of the growing number of groups that pledged their participation in today's protest. We are expecting that more drivers, operators, and commuters in other parts of the NCR and the whole Philippines will join us in our fight)," the group said.
Groups such as Salinlahi, Gabriela Women's Partylist, Fortune United Vendors, and Kabataan Partylist also joined the protest in Marikina.
According to Tanggol Pasada Network-Marikina, around 75 percent of three Jeepney Owners and Drivers Associations (JODA) in Marikina comprised of MAPAPJODA, PISDOPAMA, and LAGARISTA, are said to join a much larger gathering of protesters on Monday afternoon at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.
Several PUVs were seen plying their routes on Monday to ferry commuters as the city governments of Marikina and Pasig assured the availability of emergency vehicles to be deployed for stranded commuters during the three-day transport strike.
President Marcos extended the deadline for the consolidation to April 30 to give PUV operators to join a cooperative or a corporation, or put up their own since it is one of the major requirements for them to continue to operate.
The consolidation is the first phase of the PUVMP aimed at improving the public transportation in the country, with a focus on reduction of carbon emission amid the climate change concerns.
The PUVMP would eventually pave the way for the phase out of diesel-fed jeepneys. Failure on the part of operators to consolidate would lead to the cancellation of their franchise to operate.