By AARON ERNEST CRUZ
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — As transport groups continue to face uncertainties with issues ranging from unregulated oil price hikes to jeepney phaseout, a jeepney driver has decided to amplify the voice of the marginalized sector by gunning for a seat in the Senate this midterm elections.

Mody Floranda, 65, president of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereyter Nationwide (PISTON), is running with the Makabayan Coalition hoping to give voice to a sector whose livelihood is threatened and could affect the common Filipino who depends on public transport for their day-to-day livelihood.

According to transport groups, the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) forces public transport drivers and operators to consolidate their franchise, else their vehicles would be labeled as colorum leading to penalties and loss of the right to operate.

The said program requires replacing defective or outdated units with Euro 4 compliant engines to lessen pollution. However, the cost of a modern public vehicle is too expensive for an ordinary driver or operator ranging from P2 million to P2.5 million ($35,523.68 – $44,401.82).

PISTON and the other transport groups’ efforts to stop the implementation of the program through transport strikes and protest actions have temporarily halted its full implementation.

For Floranda, modernizing PUVs is not a bad plan but alternative solutions must be explored to ensure that the ordinary jeepney driver and operator would not be burdened while improving the country’s transport system.

“If the government’s goal is to fix our public transport, it should not be phased out or eliminated but rather subjected to rehabilitation because it has been proven in the long history of our public transport for almost several years that we have been continuously rehabilitating. Even though the government does not yet have a program in terms of modernization, the transportation sector is continuously rehabilitating,” Floranda said in an interview via Zoom.

Aside from PTMP or the jeepney phaseout, there are still many problems hounding the transport sector, affecting not just the public transport drivers but commuters. These include as the Oil Deregulation Law, TRAIN Law and fair hikes on both LRT and MRT stations that Floranda wants to resolve once he get the chance in the senate.

A long time activist

Floranda is no stranger to the struggle of the marginalized sectors. 

When Ferdinand Marcos Sr. placed the country under Martial Law, Floranda and members of his family were arrested by members of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) because they defended and protected their farmland in his hometown in Laguna. They were confined inside the PC camp for six months, and when they were freed, their home was no longer livable as it was destroyed by members of the PC.

“The PC was supposed to be protecting us, but instead they were dispossessing small farmers of their land so that the hacienderos could steal it from us,” Floranda explained.

The experience did not make him cower, instead it encouraged him to start and help organizing the farmers and fisherfolks in their community so that as a group they could assert and protect their right over their land. 

Eventually, his network widened and he was introduced to other like-minded leaders coming from other oppressed sectors. His involvement with the progressive movement led to his arrest in 1984, and he was unjustly incarcerated for two years, and suffered all forms of torture. He was released only after the fall of the Marcos tyranny with the EDSA People Power uprising. 

The experience inspired him to continue the fight even after the successful uprising. He then involved himself with various progressive groups such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and human rights groups.

Road to being a transport activist

During this time, he also worked as a public utility vehicle (PUV) driver plying the Cubao-Vito Cruz route so that he could provide for his family.

This opened his eyes on the plight of public transport drivers, who have been neglected by the government. In 1994, he joined PISTON and since then has been advocating for the rights of public transport drivers and for the upliftment of the transport system of the country. In 2021, he was elected national president of PISTON. 

“We saw the condition of the transportation sector, the various ordinances from local governments, and of course, up to the national government, the significant impact of rising fuel prices, all these reduced the meager income of drivers and operators,” Floranda said.

His ‘other half’ in activism

When it comes to being a husband, his wife Cely said that Mody is a caring husband.

“He is a good husband and thoughtful. He is not only a partner but a comrade in PISTON,” Cely, who serves as the group’s auditor, said in a phone interview.

They first met when Mody was freed from detention. Cely tended to his injuries obtained from torture. 

“I was part of the medical action group back then, and we were treating him at PGH. He’s been tortured for a long time, and he really needed surgery,” Cely shared.

From there, they began to get to know each other as she continued to heal his injuries working in the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).

They support each other through thick and thin.

Cely expressed her continuous support for her husband as she witnessed his dedication as a transport leader activist. “If he and the Makabayan coalition wins, the country can really improve,” Cely stated.

Dedicated transport leader

Under Floranda’s leadership, PISTON not only won important issues of the sector but his dedication and consistency has inspired many of his fellow drivers who have long suffered from many difficulties because of onerous government policies favoring big businesses.

Diony Bendoy, president of PISTON Novaliches-Blumentritt route, recalled how consistent Floranda was on amplifying their call for the rights and livelihood of public transport drivers and commuters from their first encounter in 1994 until he became the president of PISTON

“There’s no problem with Ka Mody because he is aligned with our advocacy. It doesn’t mean that he’s only fighting because he’s running (for senator). His struggle on the streets continues,” he said.

Elmer Cordero, one of the six drivers from PISTON who was arrested in 2020 for protesting the lack of support for the poor during the pandemic, said that Floranda took care of them while they were in prison until the court junked their cases.

“We stand with Ka Mody. He is the defender of the transport sector. I am always with him. We joke with him, eat with him, and he’s with us on the road. Since I was imprisoned, I have been a full-time (transport activist) wherever he goes, like in hearings, at the LTFRB, in Congress, and of course, on the streets,” Cordero shared. 

Cordero reiterated that Floranda’s experience on activism is what separates him from other senatorial candidates who have a large political machinery.

“In the current Senate, there’s no one we can rely on, just traditional politicians, drama, and all sorts of nonsense. Meanwhile, Mody is not even in the senate seat yet, but he is already pushing for salary increases and lower taxes,” Cordero added.

In his trip to the senate, his motivation was his overall experience of activism from childhood to the present, and a strong foundation of courage and determination. 

Although his platform focuses more on transportation, Floranda strongly expressed his support for other marginalized sectors.  

“We continue to engage with our citizens, across various marginalized sectors of our society, not because we are candidates or leaders, but because we are Filipinos,” Floranda said. (RTS, RVO)