(above) Drivers afiliated with Piston stage a protest march to the Land Transportation Office in N. Bacalso Avenue where commuters scramble for a ride on the few available jeepneys.
Edwin Figueras, 27, stood by the road waiting in vain for a jeepney to bring his two young cousins to school.
A transport strike got underway at dawn yesterday but he didn’t know that until he was standing by the road in Busay, Cebu City at 7 a.m.
Instead of spending P20 for jeepney fare, Figueras had to flag a taxi and pay over P100.
They still ended up late for class in Philippine Sower Christian School in Escario Street.
“We had to wait for almost an hour for a ride. Taxis were all full,” he said.
Thousands of Metro Cebu residents were caught off guard by the transport strike which saw jeepneys vanishing from the street during the morning rush hour traffic.
The gap lasted until late afternoon, when students, employees and commuters scrambled to find rides to get home. Many ended up walking, crowding the few jeepneys and buses on the street, or hitching rides on private cars.
About 300 drivers led by Piston were able to disrupt transport routes in Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City up to Minglanilla town in the south and Liloan town in the north.
Drivers afiliated with Piston stage a protest march to the Land Transportation Office in N. Bacalso Avenue where commuters scramble for a ride on the few available jeepneys. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
NEW EXPERIENCE
The absence of jeepneys was new for many commuters in Metro Cebu, who had never experienced a serious transport strike like the angry protests in the 1980s, where traffic would be paralyzed and fearful drivers stayed off the streets to avoid tire spikes, burning tires and road blockades.
“It was like Sinulog in the month of June,” said employee Edrian Belongilot, who was almost late for work in the Cebu Business Park.
He compared it to the car-free roads along the Sinulog parade route in January when revelers had to go on foot to enjoy the festival.
The work stoppage yesterday was a protest against new policy of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) that sharply increased fines for traffic violations. The changes took effect yesterday.
Greg Perez, Piston Cebu head, said 70 percent to 80 percent of metro traffic was affected.
“It wasn’t a strike but a peaceful rally to address our concerns,” he said, as he led a march from Fuente Osmena to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) on N. Bacalso Avenue.
A lower estimate of 30 percent was given by Rafael Yap, executive director of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), based on his field reports and CCTV camera footage in key intersections.
He said the gap was “adequately answered” by City Hall fielding barangay vehicles and Kaohsiung buses to field stranded commuters, a contingency set up the day before.
“It’s fewer (rides) than we’re used to but it’s still there. At most, only 30 percent has been affected of the public transportation network,” he said.
Other metro cities, however, were not prepared with emergency vehicles.
COOL OFF
Drivers cooled off the strike after a dialog at noon with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama who promised to lobby their concerns with transport officials in Manila.
“Penalties should be corrective. They should not be punitive,” Rama told the drivers during a meeting at the Citom office.
The widespread inconvenience caused by the strike was seen in crowds of commuters standing idle along major thoroughfares in Cebu City.
At 10 a.m. Osmena Boulevard looked abandoned with fewer vehicles, mostly private units and taxis on the road.
Some frustrated commuters would flag down private cars, begging for a ride to get to work or meet appointments.
Christine Estrella, 21, struggled to get a ride from Liloan town to her office in Cebu Business Park in Cebu City.
“There were 30 passengers crammed in a 21B jeepney,” she said.
Citom operations chief Joy Tumulak said barangay Bulacao in Cebu City and Mandaue City were badly affected.
Parts of Banawa and Lahug and portion of Mabolo were also affected.
A total of 21 Kaohsiung buses of the Cebu city government ferried stranded students and people to school and work.
Mayor Rama suspended classes in public elementary and high schools which ended at 3 p.m. Classes in night high schools were also suspended.
STEEP FINES
DOTC Joint Administrative order 2014-01 or the Revised Schedule of Fines and Penalties for Violations of Laws, Regulations Governing Land Transportation raises monetary, suspension and revocation penalties took effect yesterday.
Fines would range from P1,000 to P1 million with penalties such as one-week suspension of a driver’s license, confiscation of the license and revocation of the vehicle’s registration.
Perez of Piston said the scheme shouldn’t push through because drivers were already hard up.
“Naglisod na gani ming mga drayber, tiwasan pa.” (Driver’s are having great difficulty surviving, and here you want to finish them off.)
He said the new scheme would only foster corruption because transport operators and drivers would be forced to “settle” a traffic violation with the arresting law enforcer.
They also object to Cebu City Ordinance 2207 being implemented by Citom through bench arrest warrants.
“We hope that the mayor will be successful in lobbying our concerns with the DOTC,” said Bayan head for Central Visayas Jaime Paglinawan.
He said the protest was successful because the government responded, especially the Cebu city government.
He said they hope other agencies also respond, especially President Benigno Aquino.
Outside the Metropolitan Cathedral Church, throngs of people waited for jeepneys going to SM area and Mandaue City.
Every ten minutes, only one or two jeepneys would pass by. Most of the vehicles were already full.
A group of women mustered the courage to flag down a private multicab. The driver stopped and agreed to let them hitch a ride to Mandaue City.
A few seconds later, other eager passengers asked to join them.
The commuters who were left behind finally boarded taxi. They had waited an almost an hour for a jeepney that never came.
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