George San Mateo, Piston leader; 60
Veteran transport leader George San Mateo died of cardiac arrest on Friday night, acording to the group that he headed, the Pagkakakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston). He was 60.
“Ka George was known across the country as a fearless leader and activist fighting for the rights and welfare of jeepney drivers, operators, and working people,” Piston said in a statement on Saturday.
San Mateo was “a teenager during the Marcos Sr. dictatorship, [when he] witnessed injustice early on,” Piston said, adding that this led him to join Kabataan para sa Demokrasya at Nasyonalismo (Kadena), which is “a youth group that stood up for democracy and national sovereignty during the dying years of the Marcos Sr. regime.”
In 1985, he served as chair of Kadena’s Parañaque chapter. Two years later, he became the group’s national spokesperson.
Rising in Piston
San Mateo worked as a driver for over a decade before joining Piston in 2004 as a public information officer.
He was later elected Piston-Metro Manila secretary general, then appointed as national spokesperson in 2005. He became the group’s national secretary general in 2007.
In 2012, San Mateo was elected Piston’s national president.
“As president, Ka George led high-profile strikes and protests against fuel price hikes during [Noynoy] Aquino[’s] administration,” the group said.
“Under his stewardship, Piston became known for militant yet publicly resonant campaigns that challenge both corporate and foreign interests and government inaction on public transport issues,” it added.
Du30 years
In 2017, San Mateo also led the transport group’s fight against the Duterte administration’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, “pushing instead for a just, people-centered public transport policy rather than a profit-driven phaseout of traditional jeepneys.”
He was arrested for leading a two-day nationwide transport strike in December 2017, was released on bail and eventually cleared of his charges in 2020.
“These legal actions underscored the Philippine state’s contentious relationship with transport workers and activists resisting anti-people policies,” said Piston.
“After serving as Piston’s national president, Ka George was succeeded by Mody Floranda in 2019 and has since held the title of president emeritus,” the group said.
