During the nationwide transport strike on September 23 and 24, around 70-80% of over 1,000 jeepney routes in the National Capital Region (NCR) were paralyzed according to transport groups PISTON and MANIBELA.
There are about 27 routes in Parañaque City alone, with ten routes along Sucat Road. Following the transport strike, the Sucat road seemed as if it was jeepney-free with only one to two jeepneys seen plying along the roads. Such an impact was endured by many causing major delays and difficulties for their daily commute.
Students, workers, and ordinary commuters flocked to various points along Sucat Road, waiting for public transportation in hopes of reaching their destinations. For these commuters, jeepneys and UV express vehicles are the only available means of public transport along this road.
These struggles underscore a broader systemic issue within the country’s public transport system, further aggravated by the Marcos Jr. administration’s push for the jeepney modernization program known as the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP), formerly the PUVMP, which aims to phase out traditional jeepneys in favor of imported and more costly modern alternatives.
We can’t afford this
Several major educational institutions are situated along Sucat Road, including Olivarez College and Parañaque National High School (PNHS). None of these schools declared class suspension unlike several NCR schools following the transport strike.
PNHS is known as one of the largest schools in Asia by student population. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school enrolled around 18,500 students. Most of whom rely heavily on jeepneys as their primary mode of transportation.
Laurence Balidio, a Grade 9 student, faced the difficulty of finding a ride during the first day of the strike.
“People are scrambling for jeeps, so I had to wait for 20 to 30 minutes,” Balidio shared.
Balidio lives in Phase 3, Gov. A Santos Creekside.
“My daily allowance is P100 and I usually spend P52 on transportation. It gets more expensive when I have to take a tricycle because I pay P45 for a special trip and then just P11 for the jeepney,” he explained.
Balidio’s classes run in the afternoon from 12:00 NN to 7:30 PM. Like many others, he experiences the rush hour in the evening and struggles to catch a ride home.
He recalled that on the first day of the strike, he had no choice but to walk home as no jeepneys were available. It took him between 30 minutes to an hour to reach his house on foot.
Similar difficulties were faced by Ehra Roncales, a Grade 11 Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) senior high school student.
“Even without the transport strike, it’s always a challenge to get a ride, whether it’s a jeepney or a UV express,” Roncales said.
She explained that taking a UV express is her last resort when she could not find a jeepney. When a jeep does pass, it’s usually packed, with as many as four passengers hanging onto the outside.
Roncales pays P11 for the jeepney, taking advantage of a student discount on the usual P13 rate, while she spends P20 on the UV express when she could not secure a ride on a jeep.
Living in Fourth Estate, Roncales receives P150 daily from her parents as her allowance.
“I don’t agree with the phaseout because it’s making life harder for us students and other commuters,” Roncales expressed.
To avoid long lines for public transportation, Roncales often walks from PNHS to SM Sucat. Although this is not her usual route home, the detour, though inconvenient, gives her a higher chance of finding a ride whether it be a jeepney or a UV express.
Zenith Balon, a 2nd-year BS Nursing student at Olivarez College, also echoed difficulties in securing public transport. Students from both Olivarez College and PNHS crowd into jeepneys and UV expresses, all trying to make their way home.
“We wait for 30 minutes to an hour just to get a ride, and it’s always packed. Once you’re inside the jeepney, it’s so cramped that there’s barely anywhere to sit,” Balon shared.
Balon always rides a jeepney to her college, with her round-trip fare costing only P22. She worries that the modernization program will make public transport unaffordable.
“For me, it’s inconvenient because I’m used to the current fare. If they modernize the jeepneys, the cost will rise, and it will burden us more. They should focus on solving the heavy traffic instead—that’s what really needs attention,” Balon said.
According to Balon, the phaseout not only threatens the livelihood of drivers but also burdens the already struggling student population, who rely on the traditional jeepneys for affordable commuting.
Angelina Pascual—not her real name—a fellow student at Olivarez College, shared her own frustrations.
“The PTMP is really unfair to the drivers because they need to work to support their families. It’s also hard on us students because UV express and motortaxis are too expensive. You even have to spend on load just to book for motortaxis. It’s all just additional expenses,” Pascual said.
Comparison of public transportation costs among interviewed students in Parañaque City.
As the transport sector fight for their right to earn a living, students like Balidio, Roncales, Balon, and Pascual are left wondering how much longer they will be able to afford the simple act of getting to school.
For jeepney drivers, bearing the brunt of the PTMP along with policies like the Oil Deregulation Law, which claim to be progressive yet fail to address core issues such as traffic, fare hikes, and commuter accessibility, exposes the urgent need to address issues regarding the country’s public transport system.
Jeepney drivers from Parañaque City Angelito Estrada from PISTON and Christopher Magallanes from MANIBELA only drove half-day in support of the transport strike. While they expressed solidarity with the movement, they said they still needed to earn to help cover their families’ daily expenses.
“Balancing our participation in today’s protest with our financial responsibilities is difficult, especially in this current economic climate. But we need to persevere and continue to fight,” said Estrada.
