“Majority” of metro drivers to join 2-day transport strike July 21-22

CEBU, Philippines - A two-day Metro Cebu wide transport strike, which aims to cripple all routes was decided yesterday by several transport group leaders.

Romeo Armamento, vice president for the Visayas of the National Confederation Transportworkers’ Union-Alliance of Progressive Labor said that this was decided by the transport leaders in protest of the Joint Administrative Order 2014-01 of the Department of Transportation and Communications, the Land Transportation Office and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

“Na desisyonan namo nga mag-strike mi this July 21 and 22. Kung walay alibyo ang pirmirong adlaw sa strike, among ipadayon ang strike sunod adlaw,” Armamento threatened.

Armamento said that drivers are already disgruntled by the excessive fines for traffic violations under the said joint order.

He said that aside from jeepney drivers, taxi drivers and even bus drivers will also join the strike.

“Ang among gitan-aw nga mahitabo kay transport paralysis gyud,” said Armamento, who is also the president of Mandaue United Drivers Association.

He said that there are also transport cooperatives, whose members have signified to join the strike.

Ryan Benjamin Yu, president and general manager of CITRASCO said that their cooperative itself will not join with the strike but it is up to their individual members whether or not to join the said strike.

“Ako-a lang ning klarohon nga kaming mga cooperative dili mi allowed mo-join og strike. Pero kung ang among mga drivers isip individual mo apil sa strike wa mi mahimo ana,” said Yu.

CITRASCO is the biggest transport cooperative in Cebu. It has around 400 jeepney units and 200 taxi units.

Armamento claimed that the strike also has the support of truckers groups, shuttle groups, tourist vans groups as well as the bus and mini-bus groups.

Julieto Flores, president of the Cebu South Mini-bus Operators Association and spokesperson of the Cebu Provincial Bus Operators said that they cannot stop their drivers if they want to join the strike.

“Naa ra nila (drivers) kung mo-apil sila sa strike. Di mi makapugong ana nila,” said Flores.

Flores said that if majority of the drivers will join the strike, travel to the north and south of the province will surely be affected.

“Maapektahan gyud. Pwerteng dako-a na og epekto kung kasagaran sa mga drivers mo-apil sa strike,” said Flores, who is also the spokesman of North Bus Operators Association.

There are over 600 buses operating in northern and southern Cebu.

The said joint order, which took effect last July 19,  aims to instill discipline among drivers of public utility vehicles, prevent road accidents, ease the perennial traffic jams, clamp down on unregistered or “colorum” vehicles, among others. It also contains the revised schedule of fines and penalties for violation of laws, rules and regulations governing land transportation.

Among others, the joint order raises the fines imposed on those found operating colorum vehicles to up to P1 million.In a separate statement, the labor center Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, with which NCTU and APL are affiliated, said that higher fines will not instill discipline but will in fact “encourage further corruption”.

In protest of the said joint order,  a “transport holiday” nationwide was  held by different transport groups last June 19 including some PUJ drivers in Cebu led by militant transport group, the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide-Cebu.

During the transport holiday, majority of the public utility jeepney drivers in Cebu did not join.

NCTU-Cebu alone has more than 2,000 jeepney drivers as members aside from various jeepney drivers associations affiliated with them.

In all Cebu has more or less 6,000 jeepney units. —/BRP (FREEMAN)