Protest failed to paralyze Metro Manila, says LTFRB

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) claimed that the jeepney transport strike on Monday had only less than one percent effect in Metro Manila as far as the number of affected commuters is concerned.

“As of 5:10 p.m., naka-dispatch lang kami ng 64 trips out of 160 vehicles on standby,” Atty. Aileen Lizada, LTFRB board member, said in an interview on "Quick Response Team."

“If you equate the number of the passengers na na-transport natin to jeepney trips, it is more or less 355 [jeepneys],” she said.

“And if you equate the ratio of the number of jeepneys in Metro Manila which is 85,554, .4 percent lang po yung effect nila sa Metro Manila. Wala pa pong one percent,” she added.

Transport strike in other areas

Meanwhile, the effects of the strike were felt in San Pedro, Laguna and Legazpi City, Albay, according to a report by GMA News' Susan Enriquez on "24 Oras."

Several areas in Camarines Sur, Isabela, and Cagayan provinces were also affected, the report said.

The report added local government units deployed government-owned vehicles that offered free rides to commuters.

However, the situation was different in Ilocos Norte, where not a single jeepney driver joined the transport strike, according to a separate report on "Balita Pilipinas."

The report said jeepney drivers opted to push through with their trips as they worried about their earnings for the day.

The report also said about 400 jeepney drivers joined the transport strike in Aklan.

Reason for protest

Transport groups staged the nationwide strike on Monday in protest of the Department of Transportation's jeepney phaseout and jeepney corporation plan. According to them, their livelihood will be greatly affected by the planned phaseout.

"Itong aming ipinaglalaban ay tungkol sa isyu ng phase out dahil kami ay mawawalan na ng hanapbuhay," said PISTON Piston-Cagayan Valley president Rolando Cayago on "24 Oras."

Under the draft order, the DOTr said jeepney units 15 years and older should be replaced by cleaner and more fuel-efficient units.

Jeepney operators are also required to have at least 20 units and market capitalization of at least P7 million for a permit to be issued.

PISTON national president George San Mateo said the DOTr order only benefits corporations and not commuters.

"Tinututulan natin yung pagnanais ng gobyerno na gawing korporasyon ang magpapatakbo nitong mga jeep dahil yan ay magreresulta ito sa pagkawala namin ng hanapbuhay at magreresulta sa mas mataas ng pasahe sa ating mga mahihirap na mananakay," San Mateo said.

Class suspensions

In anticipation of the nationwide transport strike, several schools and local government units around the country suspended classes and work on Monday.

But as far as the LTFRB is concerned, Lizada said the transport strike was not nationwide in scale as the transport groups claimed.

“'Yung sinasabi nilang nationwide, hindi siya nationwide transport strike,” Lizada said in an earlier interview on Balitanghali. “We are in touch with our regional directors. Wala naman, sinasabi nila, na kine-claim nila na-paralyzed.”

But for San Mateo, Monday’s transport strike was able to gather a huge number of jeepney drivers participating in the protest action.

“Batay sa aming information on the ground, at ako mismo na-witness ko nung nasa Monumento ako kaninang umaga, doon sa mga dineklara naming areas sa Metro Manila, more or less around 85 percent ng mga drivers ang nag-join sa protesta at this point,” San Mateo said in an interview on "Quick Response Team."

“Sa national level naman, doon sa mga probinsya at siyudad na dineklara namin na kasama ang mga drivers, we were able to achieve around 90 percent na nagprotesta,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Metro Manila, commuters affected by the transport strike boarded buses from the Department of Transportation and Philippine Coast Guard trucks offering free rides. —Erwin Colcol, Joseph Tristan Roxas and Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/KBK, GMA News