Transport strike in Philippines strands thousands

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (AA) -- Thousands of commuters were stranded Monday as jeepney drivers and operators staged a two-day strike in major cities.

The strike, protesting the phasing out of old commuter vehicles under a government modernization program, affected major routes in Commonwealth, Litex, Monumento and Fairview in Quezon City and Santa Ana and Paco in Manila, according to media reports.

The strike’s organizers said about 4,000 passengers were stranded along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City during the morning rush hour and 90 percent of public utility vehicles stayed off the road in Bulacan.

Classes in the cities of Malolos and San Jose del Monte and the towns of Sta. Maria, Marilao, Bocaue, Guiguinto and Baliwag were suspended. Major routes in San Jose del Monte were also affected.

Some stranded passengers were fetched by trucks provided by the military. But government-deployed buses failed to alleviate the situation because only a few were deployed.

Jun Magno, president of the Stop and Go Transport Coalition, which opposes the government’s jeepney modernization plan, said the strike will continue until Tuesday.

According to Magno, the strike, the group’s third this year, was in protest against plans by the government to compel jeepney drivers and owners to buy new vehicles that were either electric or burn cleaner fuel.

He denounced the plans, saying jeepney drivers and operators would not be able to afford the PHP800 ($15.77) per day under a seven-year government loan to acquire new vehicles for PHP1.6 million ($31,000) per unit as a driver earns an average of only PHP600 ($11.82) per day.

Magno said the government should be blamed if there were still many dilapidated jeepneys on roads because it continued to allow the registration of those vehicles.

Authorities said drivers and operators who joined the strike would be disqualified from getting licenses to operate under the government’s modernization program.

Inquirer.net quoted Aileen Lizada, a member of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which issues public conveyance licenses, as saying that licenses would be given only to those whose vehicles are roadworthy.

A memorandum order of the LTFRB prohibits public utility vehicle drivers or owners from ceasing operations “as a sign of demonstration or protest”.