SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – A public transport federation in Northern Mindanao has ignored invitations from a national alliance of transport groups for a nationwide protest strike scheduled for Monday, October 16.
The Cagayan de Oro-based Northern Mindanao Federation of Transport Service Cooperatives (Norminfedtrasco), in a statement on Saturday, October 14, announced that they will not participate in the mass protest actions for several reasons.
Luzminda Escobial, the chief executive officer of Norminfedtrasco, said they are not affiliated with Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela), the alliance leading the protest mass action to voice its opposition to the government’s phaseout of traditional jeepneys by the year’s end.
Manibela, which has included alleged corruption in franchise issuances in its list of issues, is set to initiate simultaneous mass protest activities starting Monday at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Quezon City and Malacanang.
The traditional jeepneys, which are 15 years old and older, are to be replaced with environment-friendly mini-buses as part of the three-year Public Utility Vehicles Modernization Program that commenced in 2017. The deadline for this program has been reset several times.
Escobial said they have already consolidated their franchises in compliance with the modernization program. In fact, 23 of their member primary cooperatives have already been operating modernized units in five provinces and five cities in the region.
She added that they have transport service cooperatives in Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental, as well as in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, Ozamiz, Tangub, and Pagadian City in Region IX.
She said staging a transport strike would be prejudicial to the public’s right to access vital transport services and would defeat the purpose of the modernization program they are supporting.
Aminoden Guro, director of the LTFRB in Northern Mindanao on Sunday, October 15, said there are more than 4,700 traditional jeepneys, including multicabs, still operating in the region under provisional authority until December 31, 2023.
Guro said about 40% of the number of traditional jeepneys in 2017 have already complied with the modernization program. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.