PAGKAKAISA ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) deputy secretary general Ruben Baylon said that the charges against the six jeepney drivers or the so-called Piston 6, who were holding a peaceful protest in Caloocan City at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic have been dropped.
The six drivers, Baylon, Severino Ramos, Wilson Ramilla, Ramon Paloma, Arsenio Ymas, and Elmer Cordero, were holding a peaceful protest near the Monumento Circle in Caloocan City last June 2, 2020 when they were arrested by the police.
The drivers were complaining about the Duterte administration’s supposed bias against jeepneys, as this mode of transportation was not allowed to ply their old routes again due to safety and health concerns.
The drivers maintained that the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading inside jeepneys are minimal compared to the modern bus-like jeepneys because of higher ventilation — leading transport groups to question if the pandemic was being used then to phase out jeepneys.
Baylon said this only shows that protesting against the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) is warranted.
“Patunay ito ng kawastuhan ng ating mga pagkilos laban sa PUVMP,” he said.
