Accusing filmmaker Jade Castro and his three companions as responsible for the minibus arson in Quezon Province solely based on a social media post criticizing the PUV modernization program (PUVMP) poses a significant danger to dissenters of such anti-poor government policies. Regardless of the actual culprits in the Quezon minibus arson, authorities must acknowledge that…
The hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation on the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) on Wednesday, attended by PISTON and Tanggol Pasada Network, has once again exposed the failures of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the PUVMP. It tackled the recently issued LTFRB Memorandum…
The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), representing the DOTr and LTFRB, claimed that the PUV modernization program (PUVMP) and its related issuances are aimed at fulfilling the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in response to the Supreme Court petition filed by PISTON in December 2023. However, these agencies did not explain how…
Transport group PISTON joined the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice on Saturday, demanding a pro-people, worker-led just transition in public transport. This comes in opposition to the import-dependent, corporate-driven Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), which is slated to potentially displace thousands of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and small operators by January…
PISTON launched a nationwide transport strike on November 20 to 22 to protest the ongoing implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP). The strike came ahead of the December 31 deadline for the application for franchise consolidation. THE ISSUES Under the franchise consolidation requirement of the PUVMP, jeepney operators are being forced to…