MANIFESTO. Representatives of two transport groups in Central Visayas announce on Friday (Nov. 17, 2023) that they will not join the planned 3-day protest ahead of the Dec. 31 franchise consolidation for traditional public utility vehicles. In their manifesto, the groups vowed not to impede the mobility of their services. (Image courtesy of LTFRB-Region 7)
CEBU CITY – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Central Visayas assured the public on Friday that the planned three-day transport strike that will begin Nov. 20 would not get any support from local groups.
Eduardo Montealto Jr., LTFRB regional director, issued the statement following the announcement of progressive group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) that it will hold a series of protest actions ahead of the Dec. 31 franchise consolidation deadline of the government's public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.
Montealto said transport groups registered through the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Transport Cooperative and corporations informed his office that they would not join the stoppage of service of traditional jeepneys who are opposed to the jeepney modernization program.
“It is their commitment to continue serving the commuting public in Cebu. They are one with the national government in the effort to give the Filipino people a safe and comfortable travel,” Montealto told the Philippine News Agency.
Other groups that sent their manifesto condemning the plan to disrupt the transport service in Cebu are the Federation of Cebu Transport Cooperative (FCTC), Kaluha Twin Trading and Services Corp., and Lapu Lapu City United Transport Group (LUTG).
“In the transport industry, our primary duty is to provide public transport service to the commuters who rely on our services going to and from their workplaces, schools, and other businesses,” FCTC said in its manifesto.
Eleven transport cooperatives under FCTC signed the manifesto.
They said that “joining the transport strike or any form of activity that will impede the mobility of our services is not in the best interest of our organization, the community, and the overall transportation system.”
Nine cooperatives under the LUTG also sent their manifesto while Kaluha Twin vowed to prioritize the welfare and convenience of the commuters. (PNA)
