Strike in the Philippines against the removal of old vehicles

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Transportation groups in the Philippines launched a nationwide strike Monday to protest a government plan they say will see the removal of traditional jeepneys, vehicles that have become cultural icons, and other means of transportation. aging public transport.

Authorities took emergency measures and used government vehicles to transport stranded passengers in some areas. Other groups have refused to join the week-long strike, which in metro Manila alone could keep more than 40,000 jeepneys and vans off the streets.

Disgruntled drivers and their supporters staged a rowdy protest in the Quezon suburb of the capital region, heading to a transport regulatory office to press their demands.

“We ask the public to support the transport strike in any way possible,” said Renato Reyes of the left-wing Bayan political alliance, which has backed the strikes. “The inconvenience of the transport strike is temporary, but the loss of livelihood for drivers and operators would be long-lasting.”

At noon, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said there were no serious complications in the transport. Other officials said government vehicles had been mobilized to transport passengers to some locations, without giving further details.

Rush-hour traffic was as heavy as usual on major highways in Manila and nearby towns.

“There are no complications except on a handful of roads in the National Capital Region,” the office of the president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said at noon, citing reports from security forces.

Bautista warned that striking drivers who used violence and coercion to stop passenger vehicles that did not participate in the stops would face criminal charges.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also education secretary, has come under fire after saying the strike was a communist-inspired move that could make students feel uncomfortable.

The transport modernization programme, launched in 2017, aims to replace old and dangerously dilapidated pickup trucks and jeepneys with modern vehicles, which have more safety measures and meet carbon dioxide emission standards. Vehicle owners are to join cooperatives and transport companies by the end of the year to improve transport management, according to the government.

Critics say most poor drivers cannot afford to buy new passenger jeepneys, even with promised government help.

“It’s nice to have the upgrade for those who have the money,” jeepney driver Benito Garcia told The Associated Press. “But we jeepney drivers and operators cannot afford it.”

Others said the program would spell the death knell for jeepneys, brightly painted and gaudily decorated and considered the “kings of the road” in Manila, as well as a hallmark of Filipino culture.

Diesel Jeepneys evolved from the military jeeps left behind by US forces after World War II. The vehicles were modified and then replicated, many on repurposed truck chassis, and for decades they were the most popular mode of ground transportation among the working class, though they belched black smoke, responsible for the severe air pollution in the capital.