Transport Strike A Success, Says Bacolod Organizers
TRANSPORT STRIKE – Organizers from Bacolod City recently claimed the transport strike on a protest against PUV modernization a success.
The strike on Monday, September 30 was initiated by mostly drivers and operators of jeepney and UV Express mobile units. This was to protest against the jeepney modernization plan by the government.
What the protesters are against is not the modernization entirely, but rather the plan to phase out jeepneys and UV Express.
The PUV modernization proposal states that 5 year old or older vehicles are mandated to comply with Euro 4 standards to reduce the harmful engine emissions.
The organizers in Bacolod said that about 1% of jeepneys piled their roots, according to an article in Inquirer.
United Negros Drivers Operators Center (Undoc) secretary general Diego Malacad said that during the strike, only a few public utility vehicles were out in the streets.
The town mayors in Negros Occidental earlier suspended classes due to the strike. The government of Talisay, Bacolod, Bago, Murcia, and EB Magalona also had the classes suspended. However, government office works will still continue.
As per the report, the government of Bacolod City also deployed vehicles to accommodate commuters while the Negros Occidental government enacted a carpooling system for its employees.
The groups that joined the strike in Bacolod were Undoc, Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Negros (SStone) and the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association (Febacda). As for the Vallacar Transit Inc., they did not join the strike.
SStone’s Jesse Ortega said that the leaders urged members not to harass drivers who refused to join the strike.
The strike began at 5 AM in the morning, with the rally centering around the city.
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