As many as 300 tricycle drivers plying the University of Eastern Philippines-Catarman route gathered last September 8 to express their opposition to a cooperative’s imminent seizure of their route. This attack on their livelihood is a result of the PUVMP (PTMP) which opened routes plied by various small drivers and operators to large corporatized “modern jeep” companies.

UEP-Catarman United Drivers Transport Cooperative (UCATUD) members launched a general assembly at their terminal. Since 1973, UCATUD has been serving the UEP community and other university town residents. For nearly five decades, the cooperative have served various sectors of the university. They have raised their families by plying this route.

The Pillars, the official publication of UEP students, said UCATUD is currently completing the requirements to officially register their route. However, the local Land Transportation Office (LTO) office awarded the route to St. Christopher Transport Service Cooperative without informing the tricycles’ group.

UCATUD said it is not against modernization, but it should not be at the drivers’ expense. They reject St. Christopher’s “invitation” to join its consolidated franchise and “transport cooperative” because they couldn’t afford its very expensive minibus units. St. Christopher has 10 “modern public utility jeepneys” or minibuses registered in LTO-Region 8. It is headed by one Rynner Macaraeg.

“The consequence of this is hunger,” Pepito Ortea, head of UCATUD, said. “The students (our children) can no longer study…even in free schools,…where would we get maintainance such as fare, food?”

They said UCATUD was not even notified that their route was opened to others, and if so, it should have been awarded to the cooperative that has been plying here. “Why did the government award it to another cooperative?” asked a driver.

At the general assembly, the UEP student council and university employees expressed support for the drivers’ fight.