ACTO plans nationwide strike over fuel prices

A militant group of public utility drivers and operators is planning to launch a nationwide transport strike this month.

Efren de Luna, president of the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO), told The STAR they are going around the country to finalize plans to paralyze the transport industry.

"Gusto namin na pinagsamang transport strike na may isang panawagan lamang (We want a consolidated transport strike with one list of demands)," he said.

The strike will involve jeepneys, buses, FX vans, taxis and Asian Utility Vehicles (AUVs), he added.

De Luna said ACTO is holding talks with several other transport groups to fix the exact date of the nationwide transport strike.

"Paplantsahin namin muna ang plano (We will finalize our plans)," he said. "Kami ay mag-mimiting muna bago kami mag-set ng date. (We will meet first before setting a date for the transport strike)."

Transport groups have demanded the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law, an increase in fares, the immediate resignation of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairwoman Ma. Elena Bautista, and a single traffic ticketing system, doing away with ticketing systems of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Land Transportation Office and those of local governments.

ACTO, which claims a membership of 265,000 drivers and transport operators nationwide, had threatened to hold a transport holiday in April, but deferred the strike due to lack of preparation.

Meanwhile, De Luna said he would wait for the start of the hearing for his petition before the LTFRB for a P1.50 increase in the minimum fare for jeepneys nationwide before making any amendments.

He would bring back the additional P1.25 for every kilometer after the first four kilometers, instead of 75 centavos, he added.

In Angeles City, the Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators ng Pilipinas (STOP) said its members nationwide have agreed not to raise jeepney fares despite the weekly increase in the prices of fuel.

However, they will join the planned transport strike nationwide to demand the scrapping of the oil deregulation law.

"We are willing to make more sacrifices," Tom Talavera, STOP chairman in Central Luzon, told The STAR yesterday.

 "We cannot allow ourselves to be instruments to further burden the people by increasing fares."     

Talavera, who is also an official of the Jeepney Transport Coalition (JTC), said presidents of provincial chapters of his coalition met recently to tackle the effects of continuing fuel price increases on jeepney drivers and operators.

"We were united in our stand not to pass on the burden to the commuting public," he said. "We will not increase fares."

However, Talavera said that JTC provincial chapters are now bracing for a nationwide public transport strike this month.

"Our demand will not be fare increase but the scrapping of the oil deregulation law," he said.

"Increasing the transport fare will not solve the problem whose root is actually that law. And so the general transport strike we are planning will focus on the demand for the scrapping of that root problem."

Talavera said at present, the average take-home pay of a jeepney driver in Central Luzon range from P250 to P275.

"This is granting that the driver plied his regular route 24 hours a day," he said.

"If we plied his route 12 hours only, then his take-home pay is cut in half. With the prices of commodities soaring with the price of petroleum products, it is really a great sacrifice for jeepney drivers not to increase their fares.

"But we must have a solution that is more permanent than just jacking up fares, and that is the scrapping of the oil deregulation law."

Talavera said JTC leaders from all over the country will meet again next week to finalize plans for a nationwide transport strike.

They have invited leaders of bus, mini-bus, and tricycle groups nationwide to solicit their participation in the planned nationwide transport strike. — Sandy Araneta, Ding Cervantes