DOTR
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Piston on new DOTr order: Cosmetic ‘reopening’ of consolidation does not address livelihood threats
Piston denounces the newly issued DOTr Department Order No. 2025-009 (DO-2025-009), “Guidelines on the Reopening of Applications for Consolidation and Issuance of Provisional Authorities for Unconsolidated Individual Operators,” as yet another measure that places the burden squarely on the backs of small PUV drivers and operators. While DO-2025-009 purports to offer a “more equitable and…
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Piston on DOTr’s mandatory drug testing for PUV drivers: Safe roads require stable jobs, living wages, and humane working hours for drivers
Piston strongly opposes the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) recent pronouncement mandating drug testing for all public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers. While ensuring road safety is crucial, this blanket policy is yet another punitive measure that unfairly targets drivers without addressing the real roots of transport problems. Mandatory drug testing, especially when implemented without proper safeguards…
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Piston: Rider layoffs, fatal bus crash show public transport is in crisis
Piston warned of a deepening public transport crisis, citing the government’s planned removal of 14,000 MoveIt riders, a deadly bus crash along SCTEX, and the continued jeepney phaseout as signs of a system in collapse. “This is no longer about isolated incidents,” said Mody Floranda, PISTON national president and Makabayan senatorial candidate. “This is a…
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PISTON presses DOTr on delayed release of registration memo for unconsolidated PUVs
Piston urged the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to immediately release the memorandum it promised to allow registration renewal for unconsolidated public utility vehicles (PUVs), warning that the continued delay is already disrupting drivers’ livelihoods. The DOTr assured the group earlier this month that it would issue a memorandum after the Holy Week break, allowing the…
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Piston to escalate protests over DOTr inaction
Piston announced plans to hold a series of protests beginning today, April 7, until the Department of Transportation (DOTr) addresses its demands from a March 21 dialogue. “We gave the new DOTr administration a chance to enact policies that favor small operators and drivers. We extended that window until April 4. Now it’s time to…