PUJ protest fails to paralyze Metro Cebu

Jeepney drivers belonging to the militant group Piston march along N Bacalso Avenue to air their sentiments against Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01.
(CDN Photo/Tonee Despojo)

Drivers allied with the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) stopped plying their routes but still failed to paralyze mass transportation in Cebu City and neighboring cities and towns yesterday.

Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of Cebu City’s command center, even ordered the pullout of 22 Kaoshiung buses by 9 am after he noticed that the protest action didn’t affect public transport.

In Mango Avenue going to Fuente Osmeña, the area was frequented by jeepneys coming from downtown to Lahug and vice versa.

“We had to pull out our Kaoshiung buses because drivers who continued plying their routes started to complain of competition,” he said.

Greg Perez, Piston Cebu head, said they expected to paralyze 10 percent of Cebu’s transportation with the participation of 300 drivers plying routes in the cities of Mandaue, Lapu Lapu and Cebu and Liloan town in the north in their protest action.

Heavy fines

“But I would like to clarify that we are not on strike. This is just a protest action and we don’t intend to cause traffic paralysis. We only wanted to voice out our grievances against the government,” he said.

The Piston-Cebu members are demanding the revocation of the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) 2014-01 that raises the fines on drivers’ violations and the repeal of the oil deregulation law.

They also complained against a Cebu City ordinance that imposes heavy fines for local traffic code violations.

The local government units of Mandaue, Cebu and Lapu Lapu placed city owned buses, L300 vans and even trucks on standby to ferry stranded passengers.

Dr. Rhea Mar Angtud, head of Cebu City’s Schools Division, also ordered the shortening of class hours in public elementary and high schools until 3pm. Classes for night high school were also suspended.

Suspended

The Holy Rosary School of Pardo suspended their classes the whole day while the Colegio dela Inmaculada Concepcion had their afternoon classes suspended.

Cebu City fielded 22 Kaoshiung buses as early as 6 am to offer free rides to passengers left stranded on major thoroughfares.

After pulling out the buses at 9 a.m, Tumulak ordered their redeployment at 3 p.m to ensure that commuters have something to ride on their way home.

Piston drivers started to converge in barangay Ibabao in Mandaue City at 7 am. They later went to e Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City.

They marched to the Department of Energy (DOE-7) regional office at Escario Street to hold a rally against the oil deregulation law but Regional irector Antonio Labios wasn’t in his office when they came at 11 am.

Dispersed

Drivers later walked to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) office along Natalio Bacalso Avenue and rallied for an hour before they finally dispersed.

In a press conference, LTO Regional Director Arnel Tancinco confirmed that there was no public transport paralysis.

“We’re not preventing them from airing their sentiments but the JAO (Joint Administrative Order) is already in effect,” he said.

Tancinco said they haven’t received any request from Piston for a dialogue on the issues unlike other groups.

Supt. Romeo Santander, chief of the Cebu City police’s City Intelligence Branch (CIB) said the protest was peaceful though the march protest disrupted the flow of vehicles in Jones and Natalio Bacalso avenues. /With Correspondent Chito Aragon

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