By MAVIC CONDE
Bulatlat.com
LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – “United.”
That is how drivers and operators from Albay’s third district have described their support for the nationwide transport strike against the impending phaseout of jeepneys under the PUV modernization program.
The transport strike has since compelled the Marcos Jr. administration to review the phaseout order in a dialogue late Tuesday evening, March 7, saying they will use the consolidation’s extended deadline until the end of the year to study provisions under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines.
“The jeepney phaseout is a serious threat that unites us here in Guinobatan,” Renato Piolino, a driver-operator, told Bulatlat on Tuesday, the second day of the supposed weeklong transport strike of various transport groups.
“What we oppose is the process of [the modernization program] in which we have to consolidate our individual franchises in order to form a cooperative,” he explained.
Losing their individual franchises through consolidation, he believes, is a risky move.
“We can’t be sure if the cooperative will become successful, especially here in the Philippines, we know not a single transport cooperative that have prospered,” he added.
Citing as an example the role of the Cooperative Development Authority in monitoring the management of cooperatives. Piolino warned that bankruptcy is still not out of the question given the high cost of modernized PUV units.
“What if a cooperative declares bankruptcy? Corporations will take over, that is the truth,” he said.
For him, the government can help ease their burdens by providing safeguards such as full funding support, financially sustainable routes, and local manufacturing, among other things.
Other strikers expressed similar concerns and instead asked the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to allow them to form a cooperative while keeping their individual franchises.
“How can a cooperative help us if we will be working for minimum wage and have payables for the next seven years?” asked Jolan Monilla, a striking driver-operator.
Unlike traditional jeepneys and individual franchises, one can earn P1000 or more per day depending on the number of rounds completed and their franchise. Those with shorter routes may earn less, around P500-P600.
“Also, we were hesitant to join a cooperative because there’s one here before that went bankrupt,” he added.
Monilla claims that he could finance a modernized jeepney as an individual operator because his wife works for the government and his brother, who also works for the government, has promised to assist him.
“How about my peers who don’t have the same support and still have kids to send to college?” he lamented.
“That’s why I’m here in solidarity with my fellow workers in the sector who will be severely impacted by the jeepney phaseout,” he added, mentioning the case of a certain Piolino who is still paying for his jeepney, which he claims his son had loaned last year through his work. Most of the 200-plus members of their association also work as breadwinners.
Jose Pernia, president of Ligao-Legazpi-Polangui Jeepney Operators Drivers Association (LLP JODA), shares the same sentiments.
“We’re not against modernization, but the extension provided for franchise consolidation is like giving candy to a crying child,” he said, adding, “We see franchise consolidation as a means of monopolizing the transport sector in the Philippines, and that’s why we’re protesting with this strike.”
“What we’re asking for is for the government to fix the process because with surrendered franchises, and left with nothing [but debts], that scenario is not far-fetched,” Piolino added. (JJE, RTS) 
