Transport group Piston will continue its three-day strike on Tuesday, following the meeting it had with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.

Guadiz earlier asked Piston to stop their transport strike.

In a statement released Monday, Piston said they could not wait for the LTFRB to finish its review of the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program with the December 31 deadline fast approaching.

“Everything needs to be “reviewed”. We have simplified our demands–cancel the deadline, remove the consolidation, scrap the phase-out. But the LTFRB’s only response is just that they will “study” that. They are just making us hope for nothing,” Piston said.

“The stomachs of the drivers and operators cannot wait for the “review” of the LTFRB. How long will they keep reviewing that? The deadline is already on December 31. They are just stringing us along so that the LTFRB would appear as if they are concerned about drivers and operators. The response of the drivers and operators is: The protest continues. The fight goes on,” it added.

Piston held the first day of its three-day strike today.

The Philippine National Police and local government units gave free rides to commuters.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said it has not monitored any violent incident linked to the rally.

“On the first day of the protest, the different transport sectors failed to paralyze the transportation in Metro Manila,” NCRPO spokesperson Lt. Col. Eunice Salas told dzBB.

Salas said the most affected routes were in Quezon City, including Novaliches, Loyola Heights, and UP Diliman.

Other routes that were heavily impacted were Sta. Mesa, Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City, Marikina City, Ermita and Morayta in Maynila, Caloocan, Malinao in Pasig, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Brgy. BF, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Valenzuela City.

According to Salas, 745 individuals participated in the protest. Jaspearl Tan/DMS