TRANSPORT group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) said on Wednesday that the political bickering between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte should not distract the sector's focus on the issue of the public utility vehicle modernization program (PUVMP).

In a statement, Piston said that Duterte was first behind the PUVMP, and Marcos was being "blind and deaf" to the transport sector's continuous protest strikes against the program.

"The open display of trash talking by the two former allies exposes their true intentions, which are more important to their political ambitions than the true problems of Filipinos," according to Piston's statement written in Tagalog.

According to Piston, "It is obvious that the two warring factions both want to surpass each other in power, because they both represent the ruling classes in the country," and Filipinos should not be fooled by the tricks of the ruling class and those in government.

"Instead of immediately and directly addressing the needs of the Filipinos, especially the transportation sector, which is still facing grave danger even with the requests for extension given to our jeepney franchises, it seems that the Marcoses and Dutertes are only trying to get kickback from the modernization program and other government schemes," it added.

True unity, the transport group said, is when the Filipino people unite for the country's national and democratic interests.

The original deadline for PUV consolidation under the PUVMP was originally on Wednesday, January 31, but was moved to April 30.

New deadline an opportunity

In regard to the new deadline, the Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) will take advantage of the extension of franchise consolidation to travel all over the Philippines, particularly to areas where there are low consolidation rates for the PUVMP.

OTC Chairman Andy Ortega said on Wednesday that they will now personally ask members of transport groups all over the country to consolidate as required under the PUVMP.

Ortega said they would explain to PUV operators and drivers, who were not able to consolidate or apply for consolidation of their franchises, the importance of joining a transport cooperative and the benefits that the transport sector can get.

He said that the consolidation of franchises under the PUVMP will result in numerous benefits for drivers, as those who join will be entitled to government-mandated benefits from the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. just like other employees.

Last January 25, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the recommendation of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to extend the deadline for franchise consolidation of PUVs until April 30, 2024.