Elmer Cordero was 72 when he was arrested for joining a protest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six years later, at 78, he was at a PISTON: Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide strike center in Monumento, Caloocan City when he suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a hospital.
Cordero, known to fellow drivers as “Tatay Elmer,” was participating in PISTON’s two-day transport strike on September 29 when he suddenly experienced difficulty breathing, lost consciousness and was brought to Caloocan City Medical Center.
PISTON-NCR secretary general Janette Gabatin said Cordero had not complained of feeling unwell before the incident. He remained confined as of September 30, with his condition described as unstable. He also reportedly had asthma and had been experiencing back pain.
The 78-year-old had spent about five decades behind the wheel of a jeepney and remained active in PISTON’s campaigns for drivers’ rights. The group described him as an inspiration to fellow drivers and said he continued participating in organizing and protest activities despite his age and physical condition. PISTON also appealed for financial assistance for his hospital expenses.
His history with transport protests goes back to June 2, 2020, when Cordero and five other PISTON members were arrested during a demonstration near Monumento in Caloocan. The group was protesting restrictions that prevented jeepneys from returning to their routes during the pandemic. The six became known as the PISTON 6.
At 72, Cordero was among the oldest members of the group and raised concerns about being placed in a crowded detention cell during the pandemic. He recalled telling authorities, “Don’t put me in there, tie me to a tree instead,”after seeing the conditions inside the detention facility.
Cordero and the other five drivers were eventually acquitted. In April 2024, Caloocan Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 83 granted their demurrer to evidence, finding that the prosecution had insufficient evidence to prove the charge of simple resistance and disobedience beyond reasonable doubt. The court specifically found the absence of the required element of a lawful order from the responding police officers.
Cordero remained involved with PISTON after the case. Six years after his arrest, he was again at the center of a transport protest, this time over fuel prices and fares. PISTON called for diesel to be brought down to ₱55 per liter, the removal of excise and value-added taxes on petroleum products, and the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law.
The September 29 and 30 strike came after steep fuel-price increases earlier in the month. A ₱8.82-per-liter diesel increase had taken effect on September 22, although a rollback of roughly ₱7 per liter followed on September 29. PISTON maintained that the rollback remained inadequate compared with the overall increase in fuel costs.
The group also opposed the ₱1 fare increase that took effect on September 28, which raised the minimum traditional jeepney fare from ₱13 to ₱14 for the first four kilometers. PISTON said the adjustment did not sufficiently address the pressure created by higher fuel costs.
PISTON president Mody Floranda, estimated that 70,000 to 100,000 drivers and operators joined the nationwide strike. That figure was the group’s own estimate and was not presented as an independently verified turnout count.
