‘Stay at home, avoid strike’
Those who don’t have anything important to do are advised to stay at home lest they be stranded in the streets due to today’s transport strike.
Both the militant transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) Cebu and the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) gave this advice on the eve of today’s strike which starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
“I advise the public to postpone any activities they may have tomorrow so they won’t be stranded. But the Cebu City government is trying its best to prevent a transport paralysis,” Citom operations chief Joy Tumulak said.
He said Kaohsiung buses will be sent as early as 5:30 a.m. today in the city’s streets to fetch stranded commuters.
Greg Perez, Piston-Cebu coordinator, also advised the public to ride early because their 300 members are joining the strike.
Cushion
“Katong mga walay importante nga lakaw pwede mag puyo lang sa ilang mga balay (Those with nothing important to do can just stay at home),” he said.
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, who heads the city’s Command Control Center (C3), said the city government is ready to cushion the effects of the transport strike.
“We are ready for (today). Our Kaohsiung buses will be deployed in the usual route of passenger jeepneys,” Councilor Tumulak said. Cebu City has 28 Kaohsiung buses at its disposal.
He said they will also mobilize barangay-owned buses and vehicles for interior and barangay roads.
He said they will have drop off points at SM City Cebu for the north going to and from Mandaue City and Malacañang sa Sugbo for the south going to and from Talisay City.
‘No paralysis’
Councilor Tumulak said the city already has a template on how to deal with transport strikes and he expects minimal paralysis of public transport due to the semestral break of universities in the city.
Piston-Cebu members will hold a march rally that starts at Maguikay, Mandaue City then heads towards the Land Transportation Office (LTO-7) and the Citom office.
In Mandaue City, one bus, several trucks and L300 vans will be deployed to fetch stranded passengers, said Mandaue City Hall information officer Roger Paller.
He said they fetched stranded commuters to Country Mall in Banilad, Cebu City, SM and Ayala for free in last month’s Piston-led transport strike.
In Lapu-Lapu City Frank Brazil, head of the City Traffic Management Services (CTMS), said they don’t expect a paralysis of public transport but they prepared vehicles just in case.
Situation
“There are only a few Piston members in Lapu-Lapu City,” he said.
Brazil said he assured the Lapu-Lapu City schools division that they need not suspend classes for elementary and high schools.
“We will monitor the situation,” Senior Supt. Armando Radoc, acting Lapu-Lapu City police chief said.
Perez said they are staging these strikes to pressure the national government to scrap Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01.
The order revises the schedule of fines and penalties for violation of laws, rules, and regulations governing land transportation.
Piston-Cebu said the heavy fines are an added burden to operators and drivers.
Piston-Cebu also wants the Cebu City government to condone the accumulated fines of drivers for traffic violations they incurred for several years.
But Citom executive director Rafael Yap disagreed, saying the city stands to lose hundreds of millions of pesos if it decides to condone the fines of the erring drivers.
“What are we getting for in exchange for this huge request? Did transport groups do anything to police their own ranks and discipline them?” Yap said.
Dialogue
The first transport strike last June 19 paralyzed public transport while the second transport strike held last September wasn’t as severe.
Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) said they are reaching out to the transport sector.
“Let dialogue and cooperation prevail, so that the welfare of the riding public will be upheld,” Cuizon said.
In Manila, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma cited the statements of the LTFRB that the franchises of striking operators will be put to question if the commuting public is affected. /With Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza and a report from ABS-CBN
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