Region-wide transport strike looms in Northern Mindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 22): Region-wide transport strike looms in Northern Mindanao

Transport organizations in Northern Mindanao are preparing to join a planned nationwide transport strike on February 27, a transport leader said Wednesday.

Joe Gabatan of the Solidarity of Transport in Region 10 (STAREX), said that the STAREX would join the local Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) in the nationwide strike that might last for three days.

He said that all transport organizations in Northern Mindanao that include taxicab drivers and operators, public utility jitneys, passenger buses, and all other public utility transport vehicles would join the mass action here.

Aside from demanding the rollback of the prices of oil, the local transport group would also demand the reconsideration of the phasing out of old public utility vehicles, Gabatan said.

He said that Land Transportation Office (LTO) has earlier pushed for the elimination of the old PUJ, which the drivers and jitney operators are vehemently resisting.

“What would happen to our livelihood, if the old PUJs would be eliminated?” Gabatan asked.

He said that all PUJs, running in the streets and elsewhere in the city of Cagayan De Oro and in Misamis Oriental, would certainly be abolished if the new LTO directive would be implemented.

Gabatan said that the transport group would conduct a city and a region wide information campaign on Saturday to persuade all transport operators and drivers to join the transport strike Monday next week.

The information campaign would also urge the commuters, workers, employees, and students to support the transport stoppage and ask them to stay home during the duration of the strike.

The strike might last for two or three days, depending on the consensus of the transport operators, drivers, and stakeholders that would be known in a scheduled meeting on Saturday, Gabatan said.

Gabatan, however, assured the public that emergency vehicles like ambulances and those engaged in rescue operations would not be affected by the transport strike.

“We would also discourage and disallow any attempt to throw ‘spikes’ and blunt objects on the street that might cause flat tires that might hamper vehicles for emergency transport,” Gabatan said.

He said that the wives and family members of the transport groups in Northern Mindanao had already expressed support of the transport strike after receiving calls and communication that the nationwide transport strike would push through Monday next week.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=966345