Transport groups are planning yet another nationwide strike next month to protest the jeepney franchise consolidation deadline.
Mai Rodriguez speaks with Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena.
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Mai Rodriguez speaks with Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Welcome to The Source where we combine the headlines with in-depth conversations with
00:06 the newsmakers themselves.
00:08 Sitting in for Pinky Webb, I'm Mai Rodriguez.
00:10 Today on the program, transport groups are planning yet another nationwide strike next
00:16 month to protest the Jeepney franchise consolidation deadline.
00:21 Manibela Chairperson Mar Valbuena joins us in the program and calls mount for the Marcos
00:27 administration to cooperate with the International Criminal Court's drug war probe.
00:33 But allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte undermine the resolution filed in the Senate.
00:39 The Secretary General of the National Union for People's Lawyers, NCR, Christina Conti,
00:45 tells us more later in the show.
00:47 After the strike staged by transport groups Pistón and Manibela this month, they're planning
01:06 to hold yet another nationwide protest in December, but this time at a wider scale.
01:12 Some public utility vehicle drivers and operators are protesting the December 31 deadline for
01:18 the Jeepney franchise consolidation.
01:20 The date for the new strike is not yet set, but the government says it is ready to once
01:26 again deploy free rides to assist affected commuters.
01:31 Let's go straight to the source of the story, Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena.
01:36 Good morning.
01:37 Good morning, Ma'am Mai, and good morning to all the viewers.
01:42 Sir Mar, so it's been a week since you staged the transport strike.
01:49 Will the members of Manibela be able to protest again?
01:53 Because last time, you said that you won't be able to protest again if the LTFRB doesn't
02:02 listen to your protests.
02:04 Yes, Ma'am Mai.
02:06 I'm very happy because some of our colleagues are still not returning, just like yesterday.
02:15 That's why we're monitoring our colleagues here in University Belt so we can make sure
02:25 that students can ride.
02:30 How many of your members are still not traveling?
02:34 Ma'am, as of now, yesterday, we counted 30,000 who are not traveling.
02:42 That's only in NCR.
02:45 But now, we have more returning because we are going around to convince them to return
02:52 and travel.
02:53 So they should travel temporarily and wait for the end of the talks on what we will do
03:04 next, when the strike will stop, if our government still has no action.
03:10 So what is their reason?
03:12 Why do they still not travel?
03:15 And in which areas are the people who still don't want to go?
03:20 Ma'am, their reason to me is to make the LTFRB smaller.
03:27 They saw the news that the jeepney in Lanzangan is gone.
03:35 I don't recall what they're saying to me.
03:39 I think it came from the spokesman.
03:42 And then, they lost the will to return to travel.
03:50 Because they are used to it.
03:52 Last week, if we think about it, it's been almost 10 days, Ma'am, that they are not traveling.
03:59 Maybe they will get used to it by the end of the year.
04:02 Our passengers will have a hard time and their families will have a hard time.
04:07 So how are they making their living now if they are not happy?
04:12 They told me that they are just here in the boats looking for other means of income.
04:19 Sometimes they get something.
04:21 That's what they are telling us.
04:27 There's no stopping it.
04:29 After Friday and Saturday, they are still not returning.
04:35 So on Sunday, I went down again and on Monday,
04:38 their reason is that they watched it and they are making it too small.
04:45 Maybe they watched or heard it too degrading.
04:50 And there's no solution.
04:53 And there's no solution that was heard from the government.
04:56 You said that there's no solution.
04:59 Didn't the LTFRB reach out to you regarding the franchise consolidation?
05:07 Because the deadline is already December 31.
05:10 We are still not suggesting anything, Ma'am.
05:15 The deadline for consolidation is okay.
05:19 We will not be included in the consolidation.
05:22 But our franchises and provisional authorities should still be extended.
05:29 So far, your request is...
05:31 We don't need to consolidate because there are many consolidated.
05:38 Think about it, if 65 percent of the total is said to be 140,000 or more,
05:48 even if it's 5,000, they cannot modernize even if it's 5,000 units.
05:54 Especially since we don't have funds for modernization for the next two years.
06:00 Of course, we don't want our franchise to be held by the cooperative or corporation
06:07 because there are many incidents where our franchise was held and consolidated
06:12 so we can be the slave of the cooperative.
06:15 We can be the slave of the cooperative anytime we want.
06:20 So you are not agreeing with the consolidation?
06:25 Yes, Ma'am.
06:26 That's a hard no.
06:29 We really don't want that to happen.
06:33 You're telling me that I have a title of land,
06:38 if we include it, it will go to a corporation or cooperative
06:43 and you will be subject to what you want to do in your house.
06:47 What if you are not given the LTFRB?
06:52 What will happen? What will be your next move?
06:57 If we think that our fight will not be over,
07:02 for now, I cannot answer what we will do
07:07 because we want to continue our search for life.
07:10 We are used to running and not cooperating.
07:15 You want to extend your franchise.
07:20 Have you heard from the LTFRB?
07:25 We heard that they will extend it and return it in five years,
07:28 but they want to consolidate it.
07:32 We want to know what is the relevance of this consolidation.
07:38 Will it be beneficial for transport,
07:43 for the investors, for manufacturers,
07:49 because the people will not ask if you have consolidated
07:56 and we will ride with you.
07:59 So what kind of modernization plan do you want?
08:07 If we look at it, our jeepneys have evolved.
08:12 The remaining dilapidated ones,
08:17 the former transport leaders passed through it.
08:25 They are the ones who passed it.
08:27 We can see in our posts that our jeeps are now in a group of drivers.
08:36 We have upgraded our units.
08:40 But we still have the name.
08:46 We are still in charge of our own vehicle.
08:50 Sir Mar, you are planning a bigger transport strike in December.
09:00 Is there a definite date?
09:04 Ma'am we don't have a definite date yet.
09:07 But we are talking to Pistons and others from Peduda, Pasang Mazda and Stop Ingo
09:16 who have joined us.
09:18 We are planning a bigger strike,
09:22 which means we will be together on the date we can discuss.
09:30 So the LTFRB and MMDA said that your strike last week had minimal impact.
09:39 What is your assessment on the back-to-back strikes of Pistons and Manivelas?
09:45 Ma'am if we ask the government officials,
09:49 they will not feel the effect because they are not commuting.
09:53 They have their own vehicles.
09:55 They will try to use the roads and wait for vehicles.
10:01 If we will do this in a month,
10:05 they are promising free rides,
10:08 but the national government is not spending on this,
10:13 not funding this.
10:14 LGUs have no funds.
10:17 That's why LGUs are calling us because they have no funds for free rides.
10:25 If they have funds,
10:27 they are promising us.
10:29 Why don't they give free rides to our fellowmen and our neighbors?
10:43 Okay, let's go back to the question of extending the franchise.
10:48 The LTFRB said that they are open to Pistons' recommendations
10:53 to extend the franchise for five years.
10:56 But for you, for Manivela, you really don't want to?
11:00 Ma'am, when we first started the strike last March,
11:05 we called on our franchises to return
11:10 because they have been giving us provisional authority for three years.
11:15 We don't have franchise holders,
11:18 we are just temporary, we can travel with the provisional authority.
11:23 What we are saying, when we first talked to Secretary Bautista,
11:28 I said Mr. Secretary, there are many consolidated.
11:32 Can you modernize all of this?
11:35 Do we have a budget for this?
11:37 He said, talk to your members, let's not fight, let's not strike.
11:44 We cannot modernize this.
11:48 Ma'am, the term of President Marcos will end.
11:55 They cannot modernize even P5,000 or P10,000.
11:59 Out of P140,000 that they are saying, they have consolidated.
12:05 We are different, we haven't consolidated.
12:08 What are we chasing?
12:11 Why do we need to reach 100% or 80%?
12:16 So that the government can say that our advocacy,
12:20 our fight, did not succeed and they succeeded in what we are asking for?
12:26 Okay, so you really don't want consolidation.
12:31 Even one of the recommendations is to waive penalties for those who will not reach the deadline.
12:40 Ma'am, that's minimal.
12:43 Minimal waiving.
12:45 Maybe we can get these penalties.
12:52 Before, if we can remember, I requested to LTF-RB 22, Chairman Cheloy Garapil at that time,
13:06 our penalties were waived.
13:09 Now, I don't know where they are getting the penalties from.
13:13 If it was waived before, I should have no debt now.
13:17 And the five years of franchise, it's okay to return it to us.
13:25 We are happy with that but don't consolidate.
13:28 Or even if we don't return it for five years, there will be no consolidation.
13:32 We are okay with it even if it is renewed every year.
13:37 Okay. Thank you very much for your time.
13:40 Manivela Chairman Mar Valbuena.
13:43 Up ahead, the push for the Philippine government to cooperate with the ICC's drug war probe reaches the Senate.
13:51 But some senators are already bucking the call.
13:54 We speak to National Union of People's Lawyers, NCR, Secretary General, and ICC Assistant to Council, Christina Conti, when we return.
14:05 [Music]
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