North South Jorunal news team 
In response to the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), transport groups PISTON and MANIBELA intend to organize a transport strike on September 23 and 24.
Demands such as eliminating forced franchise consolidation, helping those who have already joined franchise consolidation to withdraw, retaining franchises and registrations for all PUV operators, and providing zero funding for PUV phaseout programs are among the concerns that the protest action is trying to address.
To minimize pollution and replace units that are declared unroadworthy, the PTMP, which began work in 2017, will swap out jeepneys with cars that have at least an engine that corresponds with Euro 4 regulations.
Consolidating individual PUV franchise owners into firms or cooperatives is the first step in the modernization effort. As of May, 81.11% of the 191,730 PUV units, under the Department of Transportation (DOTr), have been consolidated, keeping 36,217 PUVs unconsolidated.
Later, unconsolidated jeepneys and UV Express got permission to operate on more than 2,500 routes with little consolidation by the LTFRB.
The protest is an element of an ongoing effort to put pressure on the federal authorities to cancel the PTMP.
