Transport group PISTON has condemned the arrest of six transport leaders in Bacolod City during a peaceful protest on Wednesday, September 18, coinciding with the arrival of LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz for the LTFRB Transport Summit.
The six leaders, affiliated with PISTON and Manibela, are:
- Lilian Sembrano, President, KNETCO-PISTON
- Rudy Catedral, President, BACOD-Manibela
- Eric Bandoy, Secretary General, UNDOC-PISTON
- Rodolfo Gardoce, Chairperson, UNDOC-PISTON
- Shalemar Sailot, member, KNETCO-PISTON
- Melchor Omagayon, member, Manibela
According to PISTON National President Mody Floranda, “The goal of the protest in Bacolod is to insist on being allowed to participate in the LTFRB Transport Summit to voice their demands for the restoration of their five-year franchise.”
Floranda criticized the response from the police: “Instead of engaging with us, they violently dispersed our members using a fire truck’s water cannon and illegally arrested our six colleagues.”
State forces deployed a fire truck and used a water cannon against the protesting transport workers before arresting the six leaders.
As of writing, the leaders remain detained at Bacolod City Police Station 2. PISTON asserts that there were no valid grounds for their detentions and has called for their immediate release.
The six are planning to file countercharges against Bacolod City police for the violent dispersal and illegal arrests.