Malacañang officials also said that they will involve the transport groups in the process of the review. Floranda, however, reiterated that their call to revoke the OFG still remains.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Transport groups have temporarily suspended the nationwide transport strike beginning March 8 after a dialogue with Malacañang Palace last March 7.
In a press conference on Wednesday, March 8, Piston President Mody Floranda said that the officials from the Palace have agreed to review the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) or the Department of Transportation’s Order No. 2017-011.
Malacañang officials also said that they will involve the transport groups in the process of the review. Floranda, however, reiterated that their call to revoke the OFG still remains.
Under the said guidelines, individual operators are ordered to halt its operation if they fail to join a cooperative by June 30. This deadline was recently extended to Dec. 31. The said cooperatives will assist them in purchasing the modernized jeepney worth P2 million ($36,097).
The transport groups have expressed their strong opposition to the said order and held a nationwide transport strike which was supposed to be week-long.
Read: Jeepney drivers kick off transport strike vs. phaseout
Floranda reiterated that the suspension is only temporary. He said that if there will be no changes in their demands, they will still hold a transport strike.The strike paralyzed almost 100 percent of roads in Metro Manila on Monday and Tuesday, said Floranda. He said this showed that they have registered their calls to the public and the government. He added that the success of the strike would not be possible without the support of the passengers and groups from other sectors.
Jerome Adonis, secretary general of Kilusang Mayo Uno, said workers supported the strike because they are the ones who will bear the burden of its cost.
For one, he said the fare hike to be imposed by a modernized jeepney operator to the passengers will not be going to the operators or drivers but to the corporations or Filipino businessmen who have investments in the modernized jeepney.
“Our salaries are already low and yet there is another fare hike that would definitely impact the workers,” Adonis said in the press conference.
Meanwhile, Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alayansang Makabayan (Bayan) said this is the first time in years that Malacañang sought dialogue while the transportation strike is ongoing.
“This shows that the transport strike had a strong impact. There is now public discourse on the issue and it is being discussed which is certainly a political victory,” he said.
He also called on legislators to prioritize bills for the welfare of the people and not bills that will not benefit the Filipino people. (RTS, RVO) 
