Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Strike cripples public transport By Annabelle L. Ricalde
THOUSANDS of passengers hitched a ride on Army trucks and buses Monday after public transport in Cagayan de Oro grounded into a halt as drivers went on strike to protest the continuing increases in the prices of petroleum products.
Armando Naul, secretary general of the Solidarity Transport Alliance in Northern Mindanao (Starex) said they managed to cripple 97 percent of the city public transportation as early as 8 a.m. Monday.
But Senior Inspector Lemuel Gonda, chief of police station 1, said they estimated the number of drivers who participated in the transport strike much lower at 85 percent to 90 percent although private vehicles were running.
It was enough though for thousands of passengers to scamper for free rides on five Army M35 trucks and buses provided by the 4th Infantry Division, City Government, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Northern Mindanao and Department of Telecommunication Commission (DOTC).
Elsewhere, the transport strike called by the militant drivers crippled public transportation in the cities of Davao, Iligan and Kidapawan,
“Sa Iligan City, 100 percent na po ang tumitigil sa pamamsada. So wala na pong namamasada doon ngayon (In Iligan City, 100 percent of all jeepneys have stopped plying their routes)," said George San Mateo, secretary general of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston), in a radio interview with GMA7.
Citing reports reaching Manila from their regional chapters across the country, San Mateo also said operators and drivers in other cities in the Bicol Region and Mindanao were on its way to effecting a total transport halt.
“Sa ka-Bicolan, tumigil na po ang 90 percent ng pamamasada ng mga tsuper sa Naga City. At 97 percent ay tumigil na rin po sa lungsod ng Legaspi City. At 97 percent po ay tumigil na rin po sa buong lalawigan ng Sorsogon," he added.
The strike in Cagayan de Oro was generally peaceful although the strikers in Barangay Macabalan blocked the road with tires to prevent their fellow drivers from plying their routes.
The militant drivers supported by youth groups converged in all major chokepoints in barangays Carmen, Bulua, Macabalan and Lapasan as early as 4 a.m. Monday.
In groups of 20s, the drivers and activists waved flags and urged fellow drivers through loud speakers to join the strike. Drivers who did not joined were jeered and abused with insults.
Motorela drivers and operators who joined the strike held their own rally along Corrales street near Gaisano mall; in Osmeña Extension in Barangay 26 and in J.R. Borja Extension.
There were unconfirmed reports of iron spikes thrown on the road and damaging tires of passing vehicles.
Major Mitchel Anayron said the army trucks they fielded serve stranded passengers going to and from Barangays Lumbia, Bulua and Bugo.
Two Rural Transit Mindanao Inc. (RTMI) buses plied the routes to the towns of Tagoloan and Opol.
But the move was sharply criticized by Fr. Antonio Ablon of the Promotion of Church Peoples' Response (PCPR) who said it got in the way of the freedom of expression of the militant strikers.
"Maayo man hinuon ang ilang tumong pero wala pa gani magsugod ang strike nagpahibalo na sila nga dunay libreng sakay so insulto sa part sa mga nagpahigayon niini nga lihok protesta (Their intention is good however announcing the free ride even before the strike started was an insult to those in protest)," Ablon told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
In Davao City, Traffic Management Center chief Celso Gempesaw said as of 3:30 p.m. 85 percent of taxis and public utility jeepneys had stopped plying their routes.
City hall employees were allowed to go home early to prevent them from being stranded, City Administrator Wendell Avisado said.
He added only a few people were transacting business at city hall and Mayor Rodrigo Duterte decided to cut short the workday to save on power costs.
Classes in Ateneo de Davao were suspended as no faculty members and students reported.
"We have anticipated such support from the people of Davao City and we are positive that the strike will be successful especially with the support that has been coming from the drivers themselves," Jeppie Ramada, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Southern Mindanao, said.
In Iligan only pedicabs, calesas (horse-drawn carts), motorbikes and a few private cars could be seen on the streets. Drivers and civil society groups held a march-rally in the morning.
Meanwhile in Kidapawan City, capital of North Cotabato, the strike paralyzed at least 80 percent of public transport. There are some 2,000 tricycles and 500 public multi-cab, vans and jeeps in the city.
The strike in Kidapawan started 6:30 a.m. and ended 3 p.m. Monday. A downpour did not prevent the drivers and operators from marching in the streets to drumbeat their issues.
Bayan provincial spokesperson Bebiano Gabo, citing studies from a research organization, said if the transport sector all over the country would not buy any petroleum products even for just an hour, the oil companies would lose about P700 million.
"This is why this protest action has sent a strong signal to big oil companies in the country," he said.
Kidapawan Integrated Tricycle Association (KITA) president Victorino Carbonell said the fare increase was insignificant because the prices of oil products have increased by almost two pesos since.
"What frustrated us so much is the fact that the fare increases happen only every three to four years, but oil price increases happen almost every week," he lamented.
Petroleum prices last year increased 18 times and that of liquefied petroleum gas 13 times. "This year, oil companies have set to add 1 peso per week starting May to July," Bayan Mindanao said in a statement.
"The increases have cut into the drivers' daily income. According to Transmission Southern Mindanao, drivers lose more than 200 pesos a day from their income due to the increase. Tricycle drivers in General Santos lose nearly half of their income as they have to shell out 300 pesos for gasoline per day, in which they end up taking home 80 to 100 pesos for their income," the statement added.
Bayan said the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law would be an immediate remedy to the oil price hike. It also called for the scrapping of the 12-percent Reformed Value Added Tax as this would reduce five pesos from the prices of petroleum. (With reports from Lovely Ayn Buluhan, Ahmad Salic Guro, and Sitti Haina Salong, interns)
