Kim Chiu (L), PISTON donation drive with Kim Chiu’s team (R). Image: Instagram/@chinitaprincess, Facebook/@pistonphl
Actress Kim Chiu handed out relief goods to jeepney drivers while they remain out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chiu’s team handed out the donations to the drivers of Monumento, Baclaran and Avenida, according to the transport group PISTON (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide). The donation came amid jeepney and UV drivers’ appeal to resume their operations during the health crisis. Transport groups said that their fleets are “very much ready” to observe the protocols set by the government as their drivers have been “crying out of hunger” due to lack of income.
Two individuals wearing Chiu’s “Bawal Lumabas” merchandise carried out bags of supplies from a vehicle, as seen on Piston’s Facebook page yesterday, June 23.
“LUMABAS SI KIM CHIU para sa ating mga jeepney driver (Kim Chiu went out for our jeepney drivers)!” the group said. The group also reiterated its appeal to resume conventional jeepneys’ operations through hashtags, #BalikPasada and #MassTransportNow.
The “Love Thy Woman” star announced last month that she would be selling “Bawal Lumabas” T-shirts to provide food packages to families in need during the pandemic. The merchandise is inspired by her song “Bawal Lumabas”, which originated from her statement during an online protest against ABS-CBN’s shutdown. Chiu was previously mocked for her classroom analogy of the issue during the online rally; she later made the most of it by transforming the catchphrase into a song.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the government is still studying whether it could allow conventional jeepneys back on the road. He cited that physical distancing would be difficult to observe in these vehicles. However, PISTON said that physical distancing could be observed in conventional jeeps by putting up plastic barriers, a strategy that has also been adopted by modernized jeepneys currently operating.
A total of 308 modern jeepneys and 2,600 buses have resumed operations since Monday, June 22. This came after Metro Manila was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) on June 1. JB
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