By ELLALYN V. RUIZ
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Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP) national president and former 1UTAK partylist Rep. Zenaida Maranan, 75, passed away Saturday, the transport group announced over the weekend.
Maranan, or “Ka Zeny” to her friends, served as representative of the public transport sector in Congress from 2012-2013.
She has been batting for the return of traditional public utility jeepneys on the road which were sidelined since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maranan said the government ban on traditional jeepneys on the road is depriving drivers of their only source of income, forcing many of them to beg on the streets amid the pandemic.
George San Mateo, president of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON), mourned the passing of one of the pillars of the jeepney sector.
“Kami po sa PISTON ay nabigla, nalungkot, at taos-pusong nagpapaabot ng aming pakikiramay at pakikidalamhati sa mga mahal sa buhay, kapamilya at sa lahat ng mga kapatid nating jeepney drivers at operators mula sa FEJODAP sa biglaang pagpanaw ng ating kasamahan sa transport sector na si Mrs. Zenaida ‘Zeny’ Maranan, national president ng FEJODAP,” San Mateo said in a Facebook post.
Maranan became national president of FEJODAP after the death of her husband, noted transport leader Romy Maranan, in the early 2000s.
