PISTON urges the Supreme Court to immediately issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP) and side with the jeepney drivers and operators who are on the brink of displacement if the April 30 franchise consolidation deadline pushes through.
According to PISTON Deputy Secretary General Ruben Baylon, “Let us not wait any longer for the number of small operators burdened by debt to increase because they were forced into consolidation and other unjust aspects of the PUVMP.”
PISTON and its legal counsel, led by Atty. Neri Colmenares, filed a petition for a TRO in the Supreme Court on December 20, 2023 but the Court has yet to issue a decision.
“As the deadline approaches each day, it adds to the anxiety faced by marginalized drivers and operators. We hope that the high court will understand this and refrain from allowing the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to impose further hardships on our livelihoods,” added Baylon.