Manibela announces 3-day strike, cites Congress hearings vs PUV impounding

MANILA, Philippines — A group is set to stage another transport strike from June 10 to 12 to protest the apprehensions of unconsolidated jeepneys even after the Congress "allowed for a year-long registration."

Manibela announced the upcoming "tigil-pasada" in a press conference on Tuesday as the government continues to impose fines and impound unconsolidated public utility vehicles (PUVs).

"During Congressional hearings, it was made clear and agreed upon that there would be no apprehensions — nor violations — for those who remain unconsolidated. Meaning no impounding of our vehicles," said Manibela president Mar Valbuena in Filipino.

"We are here to remind the [Department of Transportation] and [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board] of the agreement that we will be granted an extension of one year for registration enabling our colleagues to continue working."

Unconsolidated vehicles that continue to ply their routes have been subject to 30-day impounding since April 16, on top of a one-year suspension of its driver and a P50,000 fine for its operator.  

As a result, the government's PUV Modernization Program have earlier been criticized by transport groups such as PISTON as a massacre of livelihood.

According to Valbuena, who participated in several transport strikes with PISTON, the directive has been used to repeatedly "confiscate license plates" and impose various violations on individuals simply for being unconsolidated.

Philstar.com earlier sought the comment of the LTFRB regarding the matter but has yet to respond.

The LTFRB previously reported that an 81% consolidation rate had been achieved for jeepney units nationwide, totaling over 160,000 units. However, Valbuena claimed that this percentage also includes minibuses, buses and other PUVs.

Manibela said that most units are still technically unconsolidated, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR), as many have "only filed for application." The group estimated the number of unconsolidated units to be around 16,800.

The government earlier said that the mere application for consolidation into cooperatives and corporations is enough to avoid penalties. 

On May 16, LTFRB chairperson