DOTr dismisses transport group’s claims it failed to aid PUV drivers

By Darwin G. Amojelar and Rio N. Araja

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday refuted the claims of transport group Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (MANIBELA) that the agency failed to address the various concerns of public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators.

“DOTr, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC) have been in the past many weeks engaged in consultations with our PUV drivers and operators regarding their concerns such as the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP),” the Transport agency said.

According to the DOTr, the LTFRB has always been fair in implementing its mandate based on the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) either to corporations or cooperatives.

The LTFRB also appealed to MANIBELA to cancel its planned three-day transport strike to coincide with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on July 24.

“We urge them not to push through with the strike since this is not all about the modernization (program) and the affected stakeholders,” board member Mercy Jane Paras-Leynes said.

“The most important consideration is the welfare of the riding public because they will be most affected here,” she added.

MANIBELA president Mar Valbuena threatened to stage a three-day strike from July 24 to July 26 to disrupt public transport after failure to meet DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista and LTFRB