The president of the Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP) said the three-day transport strike led by another group is likely to fizzle out because it does not enjoy the support of the country’s major transport organizations.LTOP president Orlando Marquez Sr. told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday that the leaders of the seven biggest transport groups have all agreed not to support the transport strike launched by Manibela.He said the groups who will not be participating in the protest action include LTOP, Pangkahalatang Sanggunian Manila at Suburbs Drivers Association (Pasang-Masda), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) and “Stop-and-Go.”Marquez pointed out that with the public utility vehicles (PUVs) under the ‘Magnificent Seven’ transport groups still on the road, the strike
organized by Manibela chair Mar Valbuena has virtually no chance of paralyzing the movement of commuters.’Not a single member of my organization anywhere in the country will go along with that foolishness. They (Manibela) are just trying to blackmail the government. Their leader is politically motivated and is not really after the interests of the transport sector,’ he said in Filipino.He said the first day of the strike has already shown that the protest has no momentum, and there are no indications that it will be gathering more support in the coming days.He noted that the strike’s impact on people’s movement is minimal, at best, even despite Manibela’s claim that it will paralyze up to 600 routes in Luzon alone.’Manibela is just a small group with very few vehicles,’ he added.Marquez claimed that up to 400,000 PUVs in all 13 regions of the country are under the LTOP banner.He said the PUVs under LTOP consist of 30,000 jeepneys, 2,000 buses, 2,000 ‘UV Express’ vans, and the rest are tricycles.Valbuena earli
er called for a transport strike to oppose the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s Dec. 31 deadline for the consolidation of traditional jeepneys as part of the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program.
Source: Philippines News Agency