LTOP: Most transport groups oppose weeklong strike

Marquez, however, revealed that LTOP’s only demand is that despite modernization, jeepneys must be allowed to retain the “iconic look” which has not been changed in over 70 years. (File photo: Rainier Ridao/Unsplash)

MANILA – The Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas (LTOP) has said the ongoing transport strike does not enjoy the popular support of jeepney and bus sector organizations and expressed hope that the protest action will eventually fizzle out short of its weeklong target.

In an interview, LTOP national president Orlando Marquez said as of Monday noon, the strike is most evident in parts of Metro Manila but has failed to make an impact in many provinces.

He said large transport groups, even the more militant ones, have not expressed support for the transport “welga.”

Marquez said organizations such as the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Stop & Go and UV Express, as well as several bus operators’ groups, have also expressed unwillingness to take part in efforts to paralyze transportation.

He added Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers para sa Karapatan sa Paggawa (MANIBELA), the primary instigator of the strike, is a relatively insignificant transport group and its leadership has been “belligerent” towards other stalwarts of the local transport sector.

Meanwhile, Marquez warned public utility drivers against ferrying passengers to work and school in the morning, but joining the strike later in the day in a malicious effort to render the public stranded.

“Your franchise is a privilege granted so you can perform a public service and deliberately stranding passengers is ground for revoking that privilege,” he added.

The mandatory modernization of public transport vehicles is reportedly the main reason for MANIBELA’s call for a transport strike.

But Marquez said transport modernization has already been put off several times and it is about time that it finally pushes through.

He said LTOP supports the adoption of more fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly engine that conforms with Philippine National Standards.

Marquez, however, revealed that LTOP’s only demand is that despite modernization, jeepneys must be allowed to retain the “iconic look” which has not been changed in over 70 years.