JEEPNEY transport group Manibela cut short its three-day strike on Thursday after a dialogue with Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) representatives on Wednesday.
Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said the group took into consideration the appeal of LTFRB head Teofilo Guadiz III to ease the burden of commuters affected by the strike.
“This is the last day of our transport strike, and tomorrow it will be normal,” Valbuena said in an interview, adding that drivers were expected to return to their routes after lunch on Thursday.
Manibela launched the strike on Wednesday to protest alleged corruption in government transportation agencies.
Meanwhile, jeepney transport alliance Piston pushed through with its own one-day nationwide protest against corruption on Thursday in Metro Manila and parts of Laguna.
In Quezon City, protesters gathered early morning at E. Rodriguez Avenue corner Araneta Avenue, which served as Piston’s command center. Other protest hubs were set up in Manila, Pasig, Parañaque, Pasay, Alabang, Biñan, Calamba, and Cabuyao.
The demonstration culminated in the afternoon with a march from the University of Santo Tomas in España Boulevard to Mendiola.
“Jeepney drivers pay their taxes, but these only go to corruption,” Piston President Mody Floranda said.
