MANIBELA TO HOLD 3-DAY TRANSPORT STRIKE STARTING MARCH 24

TRANSPORT group MANIBELA will conduct a three-day transport strike from March 24 to 26, 2025.

MANIBELA president Mar Valbuena, in a press conference, said the transport strike is in protest of what they described as a blatant lie committed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

He said the LTFRB allegedly submitted wrong figures on the status of the modernization plan of the public transport to President Ferdiand Marcos Jr..

According to him, the LTFRB lied when it said that 86% of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators and drivers have consolidated for the PUV modernization program.

“Ang sinasabi ng LTFRB na 86% na ang nagconsolidate at nakapag-comply. Naging mitsa ito kung bakit hindi na na-renew ang ating provisional authority at hindi na nakarehistro,” Valbuena said.

The consolidation is the first phase of the PUV Modernization plan, wherein operators of passenger jeepneys and other PUVs were obliged to either form a cooperative or corporation, or join one, in order to facilitate the approval and distribution of the franchise.

The deadline for the consolidation was moved at least six times, the latest was the intervention of President Marcos, which declared a three-month extension, or until April 30, last year for all PUV operators to comply.

Valbuena said no less than the new DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon said that out of the 86 percent that the LTFRB and the past DOTr administration have been saying, only 43 percent have indeed consolidated and the other 43 percent just submitted the application.

As a result, he said jeepney operators and drivers suffered. He said they have been the subject of operations since last year, with penalties ranging from P2,000 to P50,000.

Meanwhile, the DOTr said they are now seeking to sit down with representatives from the concerned transport groups in a dialogue to ensure that the welfare of the drivers and operators are protected.

The DOTr added that government agencies are preparing contingencies to make sure that commuters will not be affected by the transport strike.