Jeepney drivers halt operations to support Manibela chair’s Senate bid

Jeepney drivers gather outside the Manila Hotel Tent City on Monday to express support for Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena’s senatorial bid.  (Photo by Dianne Sampang/INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Jeepney drivers from several routes across the country stopped their operations on Monday to show support for the senatorial bid of Mar Valbuena, chairman of transport group Manibela.

Clad in blue shirts, jeepney drivers trooped outside the Manila Hotel Tent City holding placards that say “MAR VALBUENA 2025” and “LABAN VALBUENA.”

The drivers, who expect to assemble approximately a thousand participants, said they came from the National Capital Region and southern parts of Luzon.

“Andito kami ngayon para suportahan namin si Mar Valbuena pagkasenador. Lahat po kami mga mga jeepney driver po. Andito po kami para full support sa kanya. Ito, walang kapalit ‘to,” Joseph Elibio, a jeepney driver of Sangandaan-Divisoria route, told INQUIRER.net.

(We are here to support Mar Valbuena for his senatorial bid. All of us here are jeepney drivers. We are in full support of him. Our support is not in exchange for anything.)

Furthermore, jeepney driver Archie Erceyen said that not plying their routes on Monday was their way to support Valbuena.

“Mas pinili naming tumigil pasada dahil si chairman, ‘yung pinaglalaban niya para sa jeep, traditional, kaya naman kami ang lumalaban para kay chairman para suportahan siya,” he said in an interview.

(We chose to stop operations today because the chairman fights for traditional jeepneys; that’s why we are fighting for him to support him.)

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Valbuena is a staunch critic of the public transportation modernization program (PTMP) that seeks to consolidate jeepney drivers and operators to form cooperatives to avail of the benefits of the program.

In September, around 90,000 members of Manibela and transport group Piston staged a nationwide strike to oppose the PTMP. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board earlier urged the two transport groups to join the program.

Additionally, aside from airing support for Valbuena’s senatorial bid, Sandivi-JODA (Jeepney Operators Drivers Association) Vice President John Garcia told INQUIRER.net that they are fighting to retain the traditional jeepneys.

Consolidation is part of the process of phasing out traditional jeepneys and replacing them with eco-friendly but more expensive units.

READ: PUV modernization: Understanding defiance of operators, drivers

Garcia also shared that they did not join the consolidation program because they are steadfast in pushing for the renewal of the five-year franchise and registrations of all public utility vehicles (PUVs).

“Ang pinaglalaban namin ay manatili ang traditional na jeep at yung prangkisa namin ay manatiling indibidwal at ibalik sa five years,” Garcia added.

(We are fighting for the retention of traditional jeepneys and for our franchises to remain individual with their five-year validity.)

Eighty-three percent or 159,682 out of 191,730 PUVs have consolidated after the April 30 deadline.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously rejected the Senate’s call to cancel the PTMP as the majority of the PUVs have already consolidated for the program.