By Liezelle Soriano
MANILA — Transport group Manibela will hold a transport strike from August 14 to 16, following President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s rejection of the Senate’s call to temporarily suspend the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
Manibela head Mar Valbuena stated on Thursday, August 8, 2024, that they will continue the strike if Malacañang does not provide clear instructions regarding the PUVMP.
“We are not making threats. If there is no clear directive from Malacañang on how to handle the remaining minority by next Wednesday, we will proceed with the strike,” Valbuena said.
On Wednesday, Marcos rejected the Senate’s proposal to suspend the PUVMP, citing that it has already been postponed several times.
The senators had requested the suspension of the PUVMP, which aims to replace traditional jeepneys with safer, more efficient, and eco-friendly public vehicles.
Twenty-two out of the 23 senators signed the resolution calling on the government to suspend the implementation of the program.
Senate President Francis Escudero, Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, and Senators Raffy Tulfo, Nancy Binay, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Ronald dela Rosa, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Bong Go, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Imee Marcos, Robinhood Padilla, Grace Poe, Bong Revilla, Joel Villanueva, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, and Juan Miguel Zubiri signed the resolution.
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