From March 6 to 7, 2023, operators of traditional public 

jeepneys and minivans held strikes in

various cities across the Philippines to protest against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization
Program. The strikes were originally planned to last a week, until March 12, but the
organizations leading the strike declared an end to it on March 7, following a meeting with
the Presidential Communications Office at the Malacañang Palace

Strike organizers later revealed that the administration had agreed to delay the implementation
of the program to December 31, 2023, and to use the intervening months to review all the
aspects of the program implementation, taking the concerns of drivers and operators into
account.

Officials, however, braced with contingencies and deployed government vehicles to take
stranded passengers in some areas. Other groups refused to join the weeklong strike that could
keep more than 40,000 passenger jeepneys and vans off the streets in the Manila metropolis
alone.

Some school classes were called off in cities in and around Manila, while the government
deployed state vehicles to ferry those stranded by the protest action. BenarNews reporters saw
a bus normally used to transport inmates joining the government fleet.

Thousands of jeepney drivers joined the first day of the strike. But the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said only 5% of jeepney drivers joined the nationwide
strike, while 10% joined it in Metro Manila.

Protesting drivers and supporters held a noisy rally in suburban Quezon city in the capital
region, then proceeded in a convoy to a government transport regulatory office to press their
protest.

“We’re calling on the public to support the transport strike in any way possible,” said Renato
Reyes of the left-wing political alliance Bayan, which was backing the strike. “The inconvenience
of the transport stoppage is temporary, but the loss of livelihood of drivers and operators
would be long-term.”

At almost noon, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista said no major transport disruption had
been monitored. Other officials said government vehicles were deployed to carry commuters in
some areas but did not immediately provide more details.
Morning rush-hour traffic was heavy as usual in major roads in Manila and nearby cities.

“There is no disruption except in a handful of routes in the national capital region,” President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office said by noon, citing reports from law enforcers.
The government transport modernization program, first launched in 2017, aims to replace
dangerously dilapidated and old passenger jeepneys and vans with modern vehicles, which
have safety features and conform with carbon emissions standards. Vehicle owners have to join
transport cooperatives and corporations by year’s end for better transport management.

Opponents say most poor drivers could not afford to purchase new passenger jeepneys even
with promised government financial aid.

Opponents of the plan say that most jeepney drivers will not be able to afford to purchase new
passenger jeepneys, even with the promised government subsidies. According to a report in
The Guardian, a traditional diesel-powered jeepney costs between 150,000 to 250,000
Philippine pesos, while a modern jeepney that is Euro 4-compliant can cost as much as 10 times
that.

The government announcement of a June 30, 2023 deadline for the jeepney phaseout led
transport groups to declare a strike.

In response, the DOTr extended the deadline for another six months. But transport groups
vowed to continue with the protest as they asked Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to
listen to their demands.

In anticipation of the strike, schools and offices announced the shift to online operations.
Government vehicles were also deployed to offer free rides to stranded passengers.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has acknowledged the problem of stiff opposition to the
phaseout plan. He said his administration would push ahead with the plan. Newer vehicles
powered by clean energy would benefit the environment, but the program’s timetable and
mode of implementation should be reviewed, he said.

“We still need to fix our supply of renewable energy. Because even if it’s an electric vehicle, if
you charge it using electricity from a coal-fired plant, then it’s just the same. You just moved
the source of pollution. So that’s an improvement but that doesn’t help climate change,”
Marcos told reporters last week.

Instead of automatically phasing out old vehicles, the government should inspect them to check
which ones are in good condition and are still usable, Marcos added.

LTFRB chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III said each traditional jeepney operator would receive a
higher government subsidy of P260,000 or nearly $5,000, which would be sourced from the
road users’ tax.

Despite this, transport groups were keen on continuing with their protest.
“They said there will no longer be a phaseout. We can treat this as a success if we actually see a
document declaring this. For now, we will continue our transport strike to junk the poor
implementation of the modernization program,” the Manibela group said in a statement

Citations:

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/jeepney-drivers-strike-
03062023051532.html#:~:text=Transport%20groups%20launched%20a
%20weeklong,vehicles%2C%20including%20the%20iconic%20jeepneys.

https://apnews.com/article/philippines-transport-strike-jeepneys-
16c7ce8a35ec8e6cc661b3fafaec208d

https://thediplomat.com/2023/03/philippine-jeepney-bus-drivers-begin-week-
long-transport-strike/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_transport_strike_in_the_Philippines

https://globalvoices.org/2023/03/10/filipino-drivers-hold-jeepney-strike-against-
the-governments-phaseout-plan/