00:00In the face of a three-day transport strike carried out by the Manibela group,
00:04the Transportation Department assured that it will not only study,
00:08but also open to changes in the Jeepney Modernization Program.
00:13In the true plan of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon to help the transport groups.
00:20But while the strike is being carried out,
00:22the local governments and various government agencies are helping
00:26to ensure that passengers will not have a hard time.
00:30This is what Gav Villegas has to say.
00:34The Department of Transportation assured that there are people who are ready to help
00:38the passengers affected by the three-day stoppage of the Manibela group.
00:43The three-day transport strike will start today across the country
00:46to question the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
00:50regarding the consolidation rate of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program or PUVMP.
00:56We have a monitor and we are on standby.
00:58There are MDA buses so that we don't have to ride free.
01:04That's why this system is good.
01:08We can see right away if there are passengers who will have a problem.
01:13Our buses are deployed in case our countrymen will have a hard time.
01:23The help of LGUs and other agencies is also included to provide free rides.
01:29In Quezon City, there are e-trikes deployed to ensure that stranded passengers can ride.
01:36The Philippine Coast Guard also provided assistance to alleviate the hardship of passengers.
01:41According to the MMDA, their vehicles are pre-positioned and will be deployed.
01:46Again, we will not dispatch or stop the movement
01:50because there are more people who will not join the strike.
01:57If we deploy these buses here, they will return to the passengers
02:03because the tendency of the passengers is to ride free.
02:07That's why you are simply dispatching where the passengers need to ride free.
02:14The LTFRB will open to discuss with the transport groups that have stopped the strike
02:19but they clarified that they will not give the permission to stop the program.
02:24If we have a dialogue and you want to stop this, that's a major decision.
02:36Even to the secretary of the DOTR, even up to the president,
02:42he can answer that because that's the policy of the government.
02:46That's a major transport policy, right?
02:50Now, the LTFRB cannot decide on that.
02:53Why? We are just implementing.
02:56Meanwhile, this morning, the LTFRB received various transport groups
03:02to build a support trolley for the PUV Modernization Program.
03:05Members of the Pasang Mazda, Alto-Dap, Acto, Busina, and Cronodas
03:11are calling on the Department of Transportation to continue the PUVMP.
03:15There are a lot of people involved in the program
03:18and all of us are serving the people.
03:22What we are saying is to continue the program.
03:24If there is a program along the way, that's the discussion to fix.
03:28But to stop this, we will not allow that.
03:32According to the Pasang Mazda,
03:3470% of their members have already consolidated.
03:38Based on the latest LTFRB data,
03:4186.23% or more than 165,000 units of public utility vehicles in the country
03:48have already consolidated.
03:50The agency also defended the data.
03:53Gab Vilde Villegas for Pambansang TV in Bagong, Philippines.
