Reason for PUJ strike ‘premature’: Groups divided

CEBU, Philippines - Not all transport groups in Cebu are joining tomorrow’s nationwide strike to protest the move to phase out jeepneys that are at least 15 years old.

Ryan Yu, general manager of Cebu Integrated Transport Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CITRASCO), said yesterday that the group, as well as the Visayan United Drivers Transport Cooperative (VUDTRASCO), will not join the nationwide strike.

CITRASCO, the biggest transport cooperative in the Visayas, has over 1,000 jeepney drivers. VUDTRASCO has 200 jeepney drivers.

Yu said they are not joining the strike because the government has not even issued the order to phase the jeepneys out.

"Lisud nga moapil ta sa strike based on assumption and speculation. There is even no order about jeepney phase-out," Yu said.

Even with this commitment, Yu said he will ask the police to be visible in the streets as, based on experience, there are drivers who join the strike who will harass drivers who don’t.

"I am asking for police visibility kay naa man uban mga drivers nga ga-strike ilahang pangharangon ang wala ni-strike. Ilang hadlukon ba so ang mahitabo di na lang hinoon managan ang jeep bisan ang driver is not joining the strike," Yu said.

Groups Joining

The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide-Central Visayas is 100 percent committed to join the nationwide strike today.

As of yesterday, the National Confederation of Transportworkers Union-Central Visayas could not say how many of its 2,000 members will join the strike.

PISTON-CV coordinator Greg Perez said their 500 jeepney driver members and 200 tricycle driver members will paralyze transportation in all routes from Mandaue City: Mandaue-Ayala, Mandaue-Ibabao, Mandaue-Ouano, and Mandaue-Cathedral, as well as the tricycle routes in Hernan Cortes, Cabangcalan, Pakna-an and Looc.

Perez said they also have members plying routes in Lapu-Lapu City; Guadalupe in Cebu City; Tabunok in Talisay City; and other areas in the south in the towns in Naga and Sibonga.

"Yes, 100 percent committed gyud ang tanang miyembro namo nga mag- strike," Perez said.

Perez said PISTON-CV has sent a letter to all universities in Cebu informing them about the planned strike.

"Naa na nila og i-cancel ba nila ang ilang mga klase inig Lunes," Perez said.

On the part of NCTU-Visayas, national vice president Romeo Armamento told The Freeman their members are divided.

"Di ko ka-sure kung pila sa among grupo ang mo apil sa strike," he said.

Majority of the group’s members ply routes in Lapu-Lapu City, Danao City, Compostela, and Liloan.

LGU Action

Glenn Antigua, operations head of the Traffic Enforcement Agency Management (TEAM) in Mandaue City, said eight L300 vehicles will be on standby tomorrow to transport passengers who might be stranded in the streets.

Aside from these, a loader and two flatbed trucks will serve as backup, he said.

The vehicles will be on standby at the City Hall at 5 a.m.

In Cebu City, at least 12 Kaohsiung buses will be deployed also at 5 a.m. and will stay in the streets until needed. Each bus will have police personnel and communicator to maintain peace and order in the event passengers will scramble for seats.

Councilor David Tumulak said the city will focus on areas mostly affected by the massive transport strike such as Bulacao, Inayawan, Labangon, Banawa, Guadalupe, Talamban, Lahug, Mabolo, SM City Cebu, Ayala Center Cebu and the downtown area, among others.

One major route the buses will cater to is the stretch from Barangay Talamban in the north to Barangay Bulacao in the south.

Tumulak said, however, "Pero kung normal ra atong dagan sa traffic, di lang ta mo deploy og buses aron di maapektuhan atong mga PUJ.”

Until this is assured tomorrow, Cebu City Transportation Office operations chief Francisco Ouano said the office is 100 percent ready to assist the riding public.

"With coordination sa C3 (command control system), naa tay handheld radios para maka-monitor tas baga nga pasahero nga mag-atang," he told reporters.

Ouano said at least 274 personnel of CCTO and 80 other volunteers of Task Force Alpha will be deployed in the streets tomorrow.

In Lapu-Lapu City, at least four Elf trucks from barangays and two city government-owned buses will be deployed tomorrow but more vehicles will be fielded when the need arises.

Andy Berame, officer of the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, told The Freeman that the vehicles will be on standby at the City Hall grounds.

"At 6 a.m., naka-stand by na ang mga sakyanan nato didto," he said.

CDRRMO personnel will be assigned in the city's public terminals in Barangays Pajo and Basak, as well as at the Gaisano Island Mactan to assist motorists.

"Naa man tay tawo ibutang ngadto nga mo-check sa mga terminals. Kung daghan tawo ang wala kasakay, anha na na nato i-deploy ang mga sakyanan," he said.

He said they will communicate and coordinate constantly with the traffic group in Mandaue City.

Talisay City, for its part, will deploy three city-owned buses that can transport the estimated 300 residents, students, and workers who commute to Cebu City regularly.

Almond Dela Peña, head of the city’s Traffic Operations Development Authority (CT-TODA), said they will also ask barangays to lend their buses.

The buses will wait for commuters at 6 a.m. at the national highway in Barangay Tabunok near BDO and near the new Tabunok Public Market.

In Cebu City, the buses will drop passengers off in Leon Kilat Street, Sanciangko Street, Tres de Abril Street, and Natalio Bacalso Avenue.

“Igo lang mi maghatud kay dili ko gusto nga maka-cause og traffic didto sa Cebu City, while sa commuters, huwaton namo sila nga mahurot, pero basin mga 7:30 p.m., basin nahurot na mga pasahero,” he said.

Premature

Ahmed Cuizon, regional director of the Land Transportation, Franchising, and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) - 7, continues to appeal to drivers not to join the strike.

"I continue to appeal to them nga unta di sila mo apil sa strike kay kaning strike, kinaraan man ni nga pamaagi, panahon pa sa diktaturyang Marcos where he practically controls everything in the Philippines. Apan karon, there are so many avenues to voice out like going to court or make an online petition, write our congressmen about their concerns, among others," Cuizon said.

Cuizon said the reason for the nationwide strike is still very premature as the Department of Transportation has not issued any order on the jeepney phase-out.

He commended those who chose not to participate in tomorrow’s strike.

"I am so happy of their decision that instead of protesting in the street and disturbing public transportation, they appreciate the democratic situation better. Without prejudice to legal action, they opting for a peaceful process," Cuizon said.

If the phaseout will be implemented, 50 percent of the existing 11,000 jeepneys in Cebu will be off the streets.  — with Jean Marvette A. Demecillo, Christell M. Tudtud, Iris Mariani B. Algabre, and Garry B. Lao/JMO (FREEMAN)