Piston and Kadamay condemned the filing of cases under BP 880 or the Public Assembly Act against mass leaders Kadamay’s Mimi Doringo, Manibela’s Mar Valbuena and Regie Manlapig, and Piston’s Mody Floranda and Ruben Baylon for leading a transport strike and protest. They were ordered to appear in court on November 14.

Piston and Manibela led the transport strike and march to Mendiola on August 14 and on other occasions against the pro-foreign and business-oriented Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP, formerly PUVMP). The march on August 14 was blocked at the Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City.

“The filing of cases against transport and urban poor leaders shows the Marcos Jr regime’s insincerity in addressing the legitimate demands of the people. Instead of junking the bogus modernization program, the regime’s response is to silence and intimidate,” Piston stated.

According to Kadamay, the Marcos regime’s filing of cases is an utter cowardice. The group believes that the protest of drivers, operators, and commuters who will be affected by the program is just.

“Who would remain unperturbed about a modernization program that would forcibly seize the individual franchises of drivers and operators, and then pass on the burden of paying for the expensive vehicles to consumers like the poor?” the group asked.

BP 880, which contains the “No Permit, No Rally” policy, is a repressive law enacted during the Marcos Sr dictatorship. “Such outdated laws that violate basic human rights should be scrapped,” Piston emphasized. The group added that no permit is needed to expose and oppose the pro-foreign and business-oriented modernization program.

Anakbayan expressed support for the fight of the transport and urban poor leaders. They joined the call to immediately junk the fabricated cases against the five leaders. “We should assert our right to free expression and assembly,” the group said.

Doringo, Floranda, and Valbuena are all senatorial candidates in the upcoming 2025 elections. Doringo and Floranda are running under the Makabayan Coalition, while Valbuena is an independent candidate. The coalition criticized what they called “harassment against those at the forefront of the struggle for livelihood and democratic rights.”