Zeny Maranan, leader of PUV workers, dies

ZENAIDA de Castro Maranan, a transport advocate who relentlessly fought for the rights of ordinary public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers especially in the past months that the Covid-induced lockdowns had wiped out their sector, died on Saturday afternoon, her family said. She was 75.

Maranan, the national president for the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap), died of cardiac arrest while being treated in hospital for an unspecified illeness.

Until very recently, she was still granting media interviews repeatedly pleading with government to consider the plight of drivers adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. She said while she herself agreed with the broad principle of upgrading rundown PUVS, the government’s financing options will not suit most of them.

A sober and enlightened voice,“ka Zeny,”as she is fondly called by peers, supported the plight of smaller jeepney players, who will be most affected by the modernization program of the government.

She repeatedly sought for greater consideration from the government on their financing limits, saying that single players will have no means to acquire modern units. Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (Acto) National President Efren de Luna said the industry mourns the loss of a passionate transport advocate.

“Ka Zeny’s death is a great loss for the industry. Even in her last breath, she fought for the rights of ordinary drivers and operators, especially against the issue on modernization. While we mourn her passing, we will continue to fight for the same advocacies of Ka Zeny,” de Luna said in a Facebook post.