On the fourth year since Marcos Jr’s inauguration and in anticipation of his 2026 State of the Nation Address, transport workers, commuters, consumer advocates, labor, small business and human rights groups held a roundtable discussion (RTD) and forum Tuesday. This was to highlight the urgent need for a sustainable, affordable, and genuinely public mass transportation system amid accelerating commercialization and privatization of the transport sector.

The forum brought together stakeholders to examine pressing transport issues, including: the failed PUV modernization program; the privatization of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA); the worsening conditions faced by TNVS workers and commuters; transport infrastructure development destructive to communities and livelihoods; rising toll fees that enrich infrastructure oligarchs; the looming privatization of the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3); and the continued gross lack of adequate public transport infrastructure and routes.

The “Public Service, Private Profit” roundtable discussion was hosted by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at its Jose W. Diokno Hall, in Diliman, Quezon City. The RTD-forum featured representatives from the CHR, PARA Commuters’ Network, PISTON, BIEN, EILER, Sandigan, PUSO ng NAIA, MISMO, KADAMAY, Inklusibo, Makabayan, SUKI, and IBON Foundation.

The event aimed to advance policy alternatives that prioritize accessible, affordable, safe, and publicly accountable transportation as an essential public service rather than a source of private profit.