‘Fed-up’ Manibela to hold another transport strike
Transport group Manibela said on Thursday it will hold another three-day nationwide strike from Dec. 9 to Dec. 11, saying it is “fed up” with the continuous harassment of public utility vehicle (PUVs) drivers by traffic enforcers.
In a press conference, Manibela chair Mar Valbuena called the move “our response to the relentless apprehension and extortion by enforcers on the road,” saying that “abuse and arrogance [have] no place in our society.”
According to him, traffic enforcers keep on apprehending and slapping fines against their members even though they have already complied with requirements set by transport authorities regarding the renewal of franchises, provisional authority and registration.
“Since the months of May, June and July, we have been tasked to have our vehicles inspected and to get insurance in order to have our vehicles registered,” Valbuena said. “They made us pay, they made us go back and forth. The only ones who gained from this are the inspection centers and insurance companies.”
No letup
“But we jeepney drivers, we still get fined. We still get caught, our papers confiscated …. [Government] agencies are not here to enforce traffic rules but to impose fines and earn money,” he complained.
Valbuena added that drivers were forced to bribe enforcers whenever they were pulled over just to ensure that they could keep plying their routes.
Manibela has gone on strike several times this year to protest against the PUV modernization program, corruption in government, high fuel taxes and alleged abuses committed by traffic enforcers from the Special Action and Intelligence Committee for Transportation.
The transport strike this December, however, will be larger “because we are fed up” with dealing with authorities, according to Valbuena.
He added that other transport groups, such as Piston, may also be joining them.
Dialogues
While Manibela has held dialogues with government agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO) about their complaints, enforcers still continue to extort money from jeepney drivers, Valbuena said.
“I think with the LTO, it has been a month [since our meeting.] We also continue to follow up [the matter] with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) because of the daily oppression, extortion and fines. The problem is, even if we settle the fines, they still won’t release our license plates, our vehicles,” he told the media.
According to him, they may extend their strike until the end of the year, depending on the response of the DOTr, LTO and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO
