Drivers strike over plan to remove aging Philippine jeepneys

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine transport groups have launched a nationwide strike to protest a government program that drivers fear would phase out iconic jeepneys and other aging public transport vehicles. Officials deployed government vehicles to carry stranded passengers. Other groups refused on Monday to join the weeklong strike against the government transport modernization program that launched in 2017. The program aims to replace dangerously dilapidated passenger jeepneys and vans with modern vehicles. Opponents say most poor drivers could not afford to purchase new passenger jeepneys even with promised government financial aid. If the strike succeeds, it could keep more than 40,000 passenger jeepneys and vans off the streets in the Manila metropolis alone.