Transport strike set today; number coding scheme for PUVs lifted; elementary, high school classes suspended in all affected areas

A TRANSPORT strike, organized by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), will be staged today in the National Capital Region and several parts of the country to protest the plan to phase out the jeepney as a mode of public transport. PISTON, in a statement said, they expect the participation of regional chapters and allied groups in the following areas: Cagayan and Isabela provinces in Cagayan Valley; Metro Baguio; Laguna; Sorsogon, Albay, and Camarines Sur in Bicol; Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, and Leyte in the Visayas; Cagayan De Oro City and Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao; and General Santos City in Soccsksargen. The main protest center will be at the Monumento Circle. The protesters claim the jeepney phaseout under the government’s transport modernization and rationalization plan is a guise for a “corporate takeover” of the sector.

Meanwhile, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) announced yesterday that the number coding scheme for public utility vehicles (PUVs) is lifted for today. The agency also called on operators of UV Express, city buses, and inter-regional/provincial buses to coordinate with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board if they want to assist in providing transport to affected passengers.

Classes in elementary and high school levels, both public and private schools, in “all affected areas nationwide” are suspended today, according to Malacañang. Students in the tertiary level will have to wait for an announcement at 11 a.m.

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