TWO transport groups will hold a transport strike on Monday, April 15, to signify its continued opposition to the April 30 deadline for public utility vehicle (PUV) consolidation.

The strike was announced by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) during a press conference on Thursday.

Piston Deputy Security General Ruben Baylon said the PUV modernization program (PUVMP) is an "oppressive move" by the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

"The series of hearings on the PUVMP in Congress is not yet complete, and our petition against it is still pending before the Supreme Court. Despite this, the regime is rushing to take away the livelihoods of small operators and drivers," Baylon said.

Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN Drivers and operators of two jeepney organizations announce a transport strike on Monday, April 15, 2024. In a press conference at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City on Thursday, April 11, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) said the strike was in response to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement that there will be no extension on the franchise consolidation deadline on April 30. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN

The groups also said they will continue to ply their original routes despite the risk of apprehension after the consolidation deadline on May 1, since only Congress has the right to grant franchises to PUV operators.

"It's evident that the Marcos administration isn't listening to the transportation sector's grievances. If they weren't swayed by the consecutive strikes last year, we won't hesitate to stage even stronger actions this April," Baylon said.

He said the groups also called for the "complete junking" of the franchise consolidation requirement and the PUVMP as a whole.

"If the administration is truly committed to serving the people, rather than just putting on a show, they shouldn't rush the modernization program or insist on franchise consolidation," Baylon said.

Manibela chief Mar Valbuena said as many as 25,000 operators are expected to join the strike.

Before flying to the United States earlier this week, the President said the consolidation deadline will not be extended.

The previous deadline was Dec. 31, 2023.

In a related development, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said it has found several technical factors in Francisco Motors' TsuperHero program pilot implementation which must be addressed before special permits are granted.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the LTFRB said the proposed TsuperHero route in Merry Homes in Caloocan City to Sta. Monica Shop and Ride Novaliches in Quezon City is not an existing route of Cazanova Transport Service Cooperative.

Francisco Motors has announced it intends to work with the cooperative for piloting its TsuperHero program.

The LTFRB said the existing routes are Cielito Homes-Nova via Camarin Road Quirino with 39 authorized units, and Almar Subdivision-Gotesco Commonwealth via Regalado, with 12 units.

"As seen on the route map, the endpoint of the proposed route Sta. Monica Shop and Ride, Novaliches, Quezon City amounted to a modification of its original route," the LTFRB said.

It said its Memorandum Circular 2023-037 provides the guidelines for amending fixed routes of PUVs in Mucep Area. Inclusion of the proposed route to any initiatives, like the TsuperHero Program "is not under any of the conditions specified in the memorandum circular," it said.

On Francisco Motor's proposal to offer for free their modernized jeepneys to those included in the TsuperHero program, the LTFRB found that Francisco Motors "do not have a Certificate of Compliance from the Department of Transportation (DoTr)."

Regarding the proposal of unlimited rides, the LTFRB pointed out that "Francisco Motors does not have the authority to determine or prescribe the fares of the units to be used in the pilot implementation."

On the request for equity subsidy before the DoTr, the LTFRB stressed that Francisco Motors "is not any of those financial institutions or partnership concessions specified in the Department Order which are authorized to assist transport service entities (TSEs) in the acquisition of their modern units."

The LTFRB cited Section 6 Fiscal and Non-Fiscal Support of Department Order 2023-022 which provides that "the Department of Transportation shall partner with financial institutions, either government financing institutions (GFIs) or private financial institutions (PFIs), public-private partnership concessions, Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners, international financial institutions, or a combination thereof for programs to assist the transport service entities in the acquisition of modern PUV units."

Less than a month before the consolidation deadline, more than half of the total jeepney units in Metro Manila and almost 80 percent nationwide have consolidated, based on the latest data released by the LTFRB.

As part of the PUV modernization program, the government has been trying to get jeepney operators to consolidate into either a cooperative or corporation since June 2023.

But some transport groups continue to oppose both the consolidation of franchises and the eventual requirement to buy expensive modern jeepneys.

The next step under the modernization program is fleet modernization, which means that operators must replace their old units with "modern jeepneys" that are compliant with the Philippine National Standard.