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Strike strands thousands in Marikina, Quezon City


MANILA, Philippines - Despite the deployment of police trucks in various parts of Metro Manila, the effects of the transport strike continued to be felt by thousands of stranded commuters in Marikina City and Quezon City, radio reports said.
A transport strike forces throngs of stranded commuters to trek along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. GMANews.TV
The reports said that with barely any passenger buses or jeepneys in sight and no free rides from the police, commuters continue to accumulate along Commonwealth Avenue in Tandang Sora Avenue and Philcoa as of 8:30 a.m. Meanwhile, a report added that traffic in both lanes in Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) was light, especially at the Cubao Service Road, as the major thouroughfare was likewise bereft of any passenger vehicles. A similar scenario was observed over at Marikina City as the scarcity of public utility vehicles have caused commuters to fight for seats in a handful of passenger vehicles which braved the transport strike. The report also quoted the traffic sector of the PNP in Rizal as saying there was no untoward incident in the province and in the eastern portion of Metro Manila. As for the government's assistance, dubbed "Oplan Libre Sakay," Major Gen. Fernando Mesa, chief of the National Capital Region Command, was quoted as saying that the 11 6x6 trucks had already been dispatched to ply the Commonwelath Avenue from Quirino Highway to EDSA. Mesa added that seven Navy trucks are already plying the Monumento to North Avenue route while five Army trucks have been deployed to service Shaw Boulevard and six Air Force trucks are being used along Taft Avenue from Baclaran to EDSA. Mesa added that PNP continues to coordinate with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and monitor areas where free rides should be extended. MMDA buses, the ones used in apprehending traffic violators, have already been fielded along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City to pick up stranded commuters. A separate radio report said that while the 6x6 trucks have already started arriving in Kamuning, Quezon City. Commuters, especially women, were reported having difficulty in boarding and disembarking from the big trucks. In a related development, the police reiterated its warning against protesters who would dare set up barricades and street bonfires. Threatening and forcing other motorists to join in the transport strike is likewise prohibited, said the PNP, adding that police actions like arrest and filing of appropriate charges also await violators. - Mark Meruenas, GMANews.TV