PUV strike over, trips resume Manibela, Piston declare end of protest after Palace meeting

By Joyce Pañares, Rio N. Araja, Othel V. Campos, Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano and Darwin Amojelar

TRANSPORT groups Manibela and PISTON have ended what should have been a week-long nationwide transport strike after a meeting at the Palace on Tuesday.

Public utility vehicles will resume plying their routes today (Wednesday) following a two-day strike.

Manibela head Mar Valbuena and PISTON president Mody Floranda met yesterday with Palace officials, including Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, a former chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and

Regulatory Board.

“There will be no phaseout of jeepneys. The king of the road will remain,” Valbuena told Manila Standard in an interview.

He said this was based on the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as relayed by the Palace officials they met at the Office of the

Executive Secretary.

“For traditional jeepneys that are still road-worthy, they will remain on the road,” Valbuena said.

He said the Department of Transportation has also assured them that there will be a dialogue on the concerns of UV Express drivers and operators as well.

He said they were “satisfied” with the commitments they secured during the meeting.

The Department of Transportation through the LTFRB extended the deadline for public utility jeepney franchise consolidation from June 30 to Dec. 31.

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SOS sent out to curb oil spill, Boracay in peril

By Willie Casas, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

THE Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday appealed for help to contain a massive oil spill from a sunken tanker in Oriental Mindoro, which continued to threaten the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and the health of residents along the coasts of several provinces. Japan and the United States, along with several private companies, expressing their willingness to extend assistance, PCG Admiral Artemio Manalo Abu said, after it held coordination meetings with various foreign embassies.

Next page reachrd Caluyan which is about 70 nautical miles away. Inset are two maps from the UP Marine Science Institute showing the trajectory of the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro. The map on the upper right shows the oil spill could reach Cuyo Island by March 12. The map on the lower right marks the areas threated by the oil spill, Oriental Mindoro to Caluya Island in Northwestern Antique, and Cuyo Island in Palawan.

Teves’s

By Charles Dantes and Rey E. Requejo

Inflation slightly

By Julito G. Rada and Vince Lopez

INFLATION in February eased to 8.6 percent from a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January mainly due to a decline in the transport index, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. News of the slight decline in inflation came as the Palace announced the creation of an Economic Development

To

Group headed by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, and co-chaired by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. The February inflation was significantly higher than the 3 percent registered a year ago, and well over the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent.

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