The government has a duty to protect commuters and ensure adequate transportation. It should meet that duty through lawful contingency measures, meaningful dialogue, and concrete action on the conditions driving transport workers and operators to protest—not by threatening their livelihoods.

“This is a hard-won victory through a relentless campaign, sound legal tactics, and the support of the mass movement that stood with the Velosos through all the challenges.”

Most of them were former law students who worked with me in our legal clinics at Adamson Law, especially during the Feast Day of St. Vincent. From urban poor communities in Manila to relocation sites in Valenzuela, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Laguna, they experienced firsthand how to explain the law in simple terms so that people could use it to protect their basic human rights.