Dear President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,
With utmost respect and unwavering faith in your leadership, we, the Drivers, Operators and Members of the Transport Cooperatives, come before you as loyal partners in your vision of a Bagong Pilipinas. The Public Transport Modernization Program stands as one of your most important legacies—a symbol of progress and compassion for the working Filipino. Yet, under the leadership of Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez, the program has lost its heart, its direction, and its soul.
Acting Secretary Lopez has become the embodiment of cold and indifferent leadership—deaf to our pleas, blind to our struggles, and unmoved by the suffering of those who live each day on the road. Time and again, we have sought dialogue and understanding, but he has refused to meet us, refused to listen, and turned his back on the very people who believe in your government’s promise of change.
While thousands of drivers drown in debt and despair, Acting Secretary Lopez remains silent and unfeeling. He failed to defend and secure funding for the Service Contracting Program—a crucial lifeline that could have kept food on the tables of thousands of drivers during these difficult times. And even as we endure typhoons, earthquakes, and the rising cost of living, he remains unmoved, cold, and disconnected from our pain.
Mr. President, if he stays in office, the Public Transport Modernization Program is destined to fail, and with it, the hope of thousands who once believed in the government’s promise of modernization with compassion. Therefore, with all humility yet with firm conviction, we earnestly appeal for the replacement of Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez with a leader who listens, who understands, and who carries in his heart the pain and hope of every Filipino behind the wheel.
We say this with full sincerity: The transport sector stands firmly behind you, Mr. President—behind your leadership, your vision, and your dream of a Bagong Pilipinas that is fair, progressive, and compassionate to the poor.
Public transport is the blood line of the Philippine economy!
Sincerely,
Drivers, Operators and Members of the Transport Cooperatives
