The National Public Transport Coalition (NPTC) yesterday announced the cancellation of its planned mass transport strike scheduled for next week in protest to the franchise consolidation of public utility jeepneys and UV express in relation to the government’s transport modernization program.
“Since the LTFRB (Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board) already recalled its recent statement on the public utility jeepneys/UV Express franchise consolidation deadline on June 30, this year, we agreed to temporarily postpone our scheduled mass transport strike next week,” NPTC chairman Ariel Lim said in a statement.
Lim added that the transport strike was postponed to also give way to the Senate’s ongoing probe on the planned transportation modernization program of the government and out of respect to the President.
“This is to show our sincerity to the government on their request to temporarily postpone the mass transport strike and out of respect to the President, but still we will push through with our demands and for the House to also pass a law with regards to the PUVMP modernization program,” Lim also said.
The NPTC is demanding for the stoppage of the consolidation of the franchise of PUVs until a certain law would be passed to protect the public transport sector, which would lower the price of modernized transport units, allow the entry of Euro standard engine in the country that would be used in modernizing the engines of old jeepneys plying the streets.
The coalition also demands that the engines and other products that would be utilized in the modernization of old jeepneys would be tax free and to allow operators to modernize their own old jeeps and vans in accordance with the standard of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and to return the jeepneys to their former routes, which were drastically altered during the pandemic.
Lim added that a study must also be thoroughly undertaken to make sure whether the transport groups could really manage for themselves once they would be transformed into cooperatives or into corporations.