The usual hassles over SONA classes go on despite strike

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the threat of a transport strike, the Department of Education (DepEd)-7 said that there would be no suspension of classes today.

Major transport organizations plan to strike from 4 a.m. to 6p.m.

“Classes will go on,” said Recaredo Borgonia, DepEd regional director.

Nick Igot, spokesman of partylist group Anakpawis, said the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo or NADSU will lead the transport strike, as a way of protest against the State of the Nation Address to be delivered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today.

Igot said that NADSU together with Anakpawis members from the worker’s groups, fisherfolk, peasants, urban poor and drivers will converge in the different 16 choke points they have established for a march to the Colon area, where they will hold a program denouncing the President’s alleged failed promises to the Filipino people.

Igot said their transport strike is also aimed to protest against Department Order no. 2000-39 of the Department of Transportation and Communication which imposes higher fines for various traffic violations.

The drivers are also demanding for the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law, which they tag as the culprit behind the series of oil price hikes.

LTFRB Warning

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board however warned that public utility vehicles joining the strike violating their franchise will be meted penalties corresponding with the violations.

LTFRB regional director Romulo Bernardes said that NADSU has not sent a formal notice to his office.

“They have no formal notice. The issue is recycled and has already been addressed by work of legislation, etc. filed by a number of members of both Houses. The oil issue has already been brought to court by Governor Gwen Garcia. I can’t find reasons and issues for strike,” Bernardes told The Freeman.

Transport organizations also assured the LTFRB in a meeting yesterday that only 20 percent might be taking part in the protest.

Roy Opura, NADSU chairman in his text message to Bernardes assured him that they won’t resort to intimidation, force, threat, harassment and the use of spikes or “suyak” just to let fellow drivers join the strike.

“It is also our policy and we will give instructions to those who manned (sic) the chocked point to strictly imposed the policy and in addition, we will not allow fellow strikers who are drunk or under the influence of liquor. We will police our own ranks. If someone violates the policy, it will be his own risk and maybe he is just a penetrator just to make trouble with the strikers,” Opura’s added.

CITRASCO Won’t Strike

Benjamin Ryan Yu, managing director of CITRASCO said that all the members of the Cebu Confederation of Transport Operators and Drivers Inc. will not be joining the strike.

CCTODI’s member organization are the Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Drayber-Operator Alang sa Reporma, the Southern Cebu Operators and Drivers Association Inc., the VUDTRASCO, the Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators, the Cebu Truckers Association Inc.

Igot further said that drivers in all routes in Cebu City will be joining with the strike together with their members in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Consolacion and other southern routes.

Tricycle drivers in Mandaue, who are NADSU members specifically those plying the routes of barangay Paknaan, Opao and Casuntingan will also be joining the strike.

City Ready For Strike

Cebu City through the City Disaster and Coordinating Council (CDCC) assured it is prepared with contingencies for three main events for today.

CDCC head Councilor Gerardo Carillo said an action center will be established at the compact police station at Plaza Sugbo very early today.

He said they already have on stand by 15 buses and 15 multicabs owned by the city government which are to be deployed upon instructions by the City Traffic Operations and Management (CITOM) for today’s jeepney strike.

The next vehicles in line to be dispatch are the barangay buses followed by around 20 private vehicles.

Other than the strike, Carillo said they are also monitoring peace and order because of the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

They will also brace themselves for today’s parade of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo, which is celebrating its anniversary this week.

“As early as six am, the vehicles are already ready for deployment through CITOM,” Carillo said.

The trips of the city-owned dump trucks are also cancelled except for the very important ones, to make sure there are enough vehicles to answer any emergency.

Last March, a so called “mass protest” by NADSU caught Cebu City and its neighboring cities off guard, crippling 80 percent of the routes early in the morning.

The protest was termed illegal by LTFRB and the drivers, who took part in the protest action against the increase in fines on traffic violations, face sanctions as thousands of commuters were stranded despite the announcement that there was no transport strike.

Commuters from the cities of Cebu, Talisay and Mandaue and those from nearby municipalities were affected by the drivers’ protest as several joined the march from Fuente Osmeña while others decided not to ply their routes.

An irked Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has asked LTFRB to take drastic action, possibly to revoke the franchises of those jeepneys where the routes were crippled. — with Ferliza Contratista/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)