APRIL 15, 2026 — Metro Manila braces for a three-day transport strike led by Manibela and backed by Piston, with half a million drivers expected to paralyze routes nationwide … again. The protest highlights the deep frustration over rising fuel prices, unpaid service contracting fees, and what transport leaders call “band-aid solutions” from the government.

From April 15 to 17, commuters across Metro Manila and other urban centers will feel the full weight of another transport strike. 

Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena said his group, along with Piston president Mody Floranda, insists that the government’s service contracting program and fuel subsidies are temporary fixes that fail to address the root problem — skyrocketing fuel costs and the burden of taxes.

Valbuena’s frustration is rooted in numbers. Drivers, he said, are taking home as little as ₱150 to ₱200 a day after paying for diesel. 

“Makakabuhay po ba ng pamilya ito?” he asked. 

(Can this amount support a family?)

Government’s countermeasures

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has promised free rides for commuters, with the PNP Highway Patrol Group deploying 501 officers to secure roads. Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez admitted the current ₱800-million budget for service contracting will last only two to three weeks, hence the request for an additional ₱5 billion to expand coverage. 

The Department of Energy (DOE) also rolled out a ₱10-per-liter fuel discount program for jeepneys and UV Express units, accessible via Landbank’s mobile app.

But Valbuena and Floranda are unconvinced. For them, subsidies and discounts are crumbs compared to the demand for a fuel price rollback to ₱55 per liter and the removal of excise and value-added taxes on fuel.

The demands go beyond subsidies. Transport leaders want the abolition of the Oil Deregulation Law, arguing that deregulation has left drivers and commuters at the mercy of global oil markets. They also demand accountability for unpaid service contracting fees from the Duterte administration, which they say eroded trust in government programs.

While Manibela and Piston are leading the charge, other transport groups like ALTODAP and Pasang-Masda have opted out, preferring dialogue with the government. Still, the strike is expected to ripple nationwide, with students from state universities staging walkouts and commuters’ groups joining the protests.

The transport sector’s anger is not just about pesos and liters — it’s about dignity, fairness, and survival. And unless policymakers confront the structural issues — fuel taxes, deregulation, and the lack of sustainable transport planning — these strikes will keep coming back, louder and angrier.

How many more strikes do you think we’ll have to endure before the government finally listens to the jeepney drivers who keep your daily commute alive?

(Image: MANIBELA | Facebook)