The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was prepared to assist commuters who would be affected by a three-day strike seen to paralyze public transportation system beginning on Monday, March 24.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines remains on standby, ready to assist as needed,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.
She said the AFP has coordinated closely with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as mobilization assets were put on standby for augmentation of vehicles.
“Ensuring public safety and mobility remains a priority, and we stand ready to support government efforts in mitigating the impact of the transport strike,” the AFP official said.
Transport group Manibela earlier announced that it would hold a transport strike from March 24 to 26 in connection with the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
Valbuena accused officials of the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) in making “dishonest” statements about the modernization program, a government initiative which aims to replace traditional jeepneys with eco-friendly versions.
He said the LTFRB declared that there were 86 percent operators that consolidated into either a corporation or cooperative but it turned out that only half of them complied with the consolidation.
The consolidation is the first phase of the PUV modernization. At present, the program is now on the second phase which is the route rationalization. Eventually, the PUV modernization program will phase out the traditional jeepneys.