Cebu transport groups eye strike on Monday

Transport groups will be having their biggest strike on June 30 if the government would not grant their demand for a uniform fare nationwide.

Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbu (NADSU) chairman Roy Opura said they would pursue with their strike on June 30 to demand for a uniform fare throughout the country following the increases of pump prices in the market.

Opura said their biggest strike will be attended by some 7,000 drivers in Cebu. He said they are demanding for uniformity in fare across the country.

Public utility jeepneys in Manila have a fare minimum of P8.

Opura has called on education officials to cancel classes on Monday so students will not be affected by the transport strike. He also called on companies to observe a holiday for workers on that day.

He said they are expecting a huge crowd in the rally as they have gained support from drivers in different parts of Cebu.

Opura said they would start their rally at 1 a.m. on June 30 so they would have time to encourage more drivers to join in their sentiments.

The city government, for its part, will discuss measures on how to mitigate the impact of the transport strike.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo, action officer of the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council, said yesterday he would call for a meeting with other City Hall departments that are involved in disaster preparedness to plan what they will do on Monday.

Like the other transport strikes in the past, he said the city is expected to deploy buses and other vehicles to help transport stranded passengers, especially workers to their workplaces.

Meanwhile, Jaime Paglinawan, regional chairman of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said that Bayan and its allied groups will stage a people’s protest in support to the transport groups’ move.

“Their demand, the scrapping of the 12 percent tax on oil products, is also our demand. If the VAT on oil is removed, it is not only the transport sector that would benefit but also the consumers, and everybody because it will create a chain of effect,” Paglinawan said.

He added that they would also support the call of drivers to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law, which they blame for the uncontrollable increase in the prices of fuel products. — Wenna A. Berondo and Jasmin R. Uy/LPM