Over 500 drivers, operators, and their supporters picketed in front of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Region VI office in Iloilo City last May 30. They denounced anew the implementation of the jeepney phaseout, the failed and bogus modernization program of the previous Duterte administration, extended by current Marcos administration continues.

Led by the Panay-Negros United Transport Coalition, drivers and operators who resisted the forced consolidation and those who did consolidate and join cooperatives all participated in the protest. They specifically denounced Department Order No. 2025-009, issued, signed and released by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon. The order affirms the Marcos administration’s railroading of the bogus Public Transportation Modernization Program (PTMP).

According to Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), those who joined the program are clearly disappointed because the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP) mired them in debt, punished them with high fees, and stole their routes. The group said they are fighting for the right to withdraw from consolidation without risking their livelihood.

Piston also continues to call on the administration to allow all to register, including those who did not join the consolidation. They demand restoring the five-year franchise for jeepneys. “LTFRB and LTO are milking drivers by blocking registration using consolidation as an excuse, but under-the-table registration payments have risen to ₱20,000,” the group stated.

To further assert their stand, drivers and operators in Western Visayas are set to halt operations throughout the region on June 5. This will be part of Piston’s call in the week of protest against the Marcos administration’s backward, pro-foreign, and business-oriented transportation program.