Strike a dud in MM; Mindanao paralyzed

Striking jeepney drivers paralyzed 95 percent of public transportation in Southern Mindanao yesterday and effectively stopped operations in urban centers in Central Luzon.

In Metro Manila, though, the strike was deemed a "failure" according to the Metro Manila Development Authority, with its impact "hardly felt" in the north and south of the metropolis.

Strike organizers demanded the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law, while some called for the resignation of President Arroyo.

Meanwhile, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chief Ma. Elena Bautista warned jeepney operators whose drivers joined the strike yesterday that she would cancel their permits to operate public utility vehicles.

"Yes, we will cancel their franchises," she said in a text message to reporters yesterday. "Di na pwedeng pakiusapan (No more considerations)."

The nationwide strike also kept from the streets 80 percent of the jeepneys plying the route between Bacolod City and the north and south of Negros Occidental.

But jeepney drivers in Bacolod refused to join the strike.

In Bicol, 90 percent of public transportation was inactive in Albay, Sorsogon and the Camarines provinces as buses and tricycles also went on strike in sympathy with the jeepney drivers.

However, the strike reportedly fizzled out in the provinces of Aurora, Bataan and most of Nueva Ecija.

Jeffrey Ramada, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Southern Mindanao chapter president, said public and private transportation groups took part in the effort to paralyze public transportation nationwide.

The protest action had "significant impact," given the wide participation from the public and private transportation sectors, Ramada added.

Classes were suspended in several schools in Davao City due to the action, while a number of offices and businesses closed shop during the 17-hour transport strike.

Thousands of policemen in the city of Manila kept a close watch on strikers in so-called "trouble spots."

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza has ordered the city’s Department of Public Services to stand by in case they need to be deployed to assist stranded passengers.

The strike, spearheaded by the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston), was generally peaceful as police maintained a policy of maximum tolerance.

The striking drivers were supported by militant allies belonging to Gabriela, Akbayan, Anakpawis and Kilusang Mayo Uno.

Modesto Floranda, Piston vice president for National Capital Region, said his group will continue their strike today.

Metro Manila police commander Director Vidal Querol said no commuters were stranded during yesterday’s transport strike in Metro Manila despite the strike.

"Hindi na kailangang mag-field ng buses at six-by-six trucks (There was no need to field buses and six-by-six trucks)," he said.

Querol said no violence was reported to his office as of 5 p.m. yesterday. "The strike was generally peaceful," he said.

Querol said only the militant Piston group stayed away from their designated routes in Metro Manila.

"Piston claimed they could paralyze the streets, but other transport groups continued plying their routes to ferry commuters to their destinations so traffic remained normal," he said.

Northern Police District director Chief Superintendent Raul Gonzales led his men as early as 5 a.m. yesterday on an inspection of "trouble spots" in northern Metro Manila, particularly Monumento in Caloocan City, Governor Pascual in Malabon, Daanghari in Navotas and Malanday and Marulas in Valenzuela City.

As of 11 a.m., Gonzales said the situation had returned to normal and no commuter had been left stranded.

Police were placed on alert to assist commuters and safeguard major areas of convergence, he added.

The local governments in Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) also dispatched vehicles to the streets to transport commuters.

"We have on call vehicles for stranded commuters, but they were not utilized as passenger jeepneys continued to ply their routes peacefully," Maricel Sy of the Caloocan City Hall Public Information Office said.

In Malabon City, Mayor Tito Oreta also placed on standby several vehicles, including dump trucks, to ferry passengers if necessary.

"No government vehicles were fielded for we hardly felt the effect of the transport strike here in Malabon City," Superintendent Moises Guevarra, the city police chief, said.

In Navotas, Public Order and Safety Office radio operator Carlos Jimenez made the same observation about the jeepney strike in the town.

Passenger jeepneys continued to ply major roads such as M. Naval street, C-4 Road and Governor Pascual without a hitch, he added.

In Valenzuela, Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian fielded 12 vehicles to pick up stranded commuters but they "returned to base" because transportation "was normal," according to Marither Menia of the Valenzuela City Public Information Office.

Some 20 members of Piston led by Emerlito Santos, the group’s Camanava chapter president, along with members of militant groups Anakpawis and Akbayan, held a protest rally in front of the Gotesco Grand Central Mall in Caloocan yesterday.

As early as 7 a.m. some 20 Piston members gathered at the Mabuhay Rotonda on the Manila-Quezon City boundary to urge other drivers to join the strike.

No arrests were made as police kept their distance.

In Intramuros, Manila, some 60 Piston members plying the Pasay-Pier route stopped transporting passengers at around 8 a.m.

At the corner of España Boulevard and Dela Fuente street in Sampaloc, Manila, the striking drivers were joined by some 30 flag-waving militants belonging to Anakpawis.

On C. M. Recto Avenue in Sta. Cruz, Manila, 10 members of Anakbayan were seen holding placards demanding the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo.

Manila police director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong deployed five six-by-six trucks from the Air Force to ferry stranded passengers.

The trucks were escorted by Air Force security men.

Bulaong also deployed riot policemen to areas where there was considerable support for the striking jeepney drivers.

The MPD will maintain the "no permit, no rally" policy during the strike.

In Davao City, no passenger jeepneys were seen plying the major thoroughfares during the strike, forcing the city government to field buses to ferry stranded commuters.

Several of the buses were parked in front of the City Hall, where commuters were congregating the entire day yesterday.

City Administrator Wendel Avisado said the city government had put in place necessary contingency measures to deal with yesterday’s transport strike.

Reports said buses plying various routes in Southern Mindanao also remained garaged during the strike.

The transport strike also reportedly affected the cities of Tagum in Davao del Norte and Digos in Davao del Sur, and the capital town of Mati in Davao Oriental.

Apart from Bayan, the transport strike in Southern Mindanao was supported by major transportation groups in the region like the Transport of Southern Mindanao for Solidarity, Independence and Nationalism (Transmission).

The strikers demanded that unabated fuel price hikes be stopped and that the Oil Deregulation Law be repealed.

They also called for the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo, whom they accused of committing fraud in last year’s elections.

In Lanao del Norte, some 200 jeepney drivers from the coastal towns Bacolod, Kauswagan and Linamon joined the transport strike in Iligan City yesterday.

Passengers from Iligan Southbound terminal had to walk up to the city proper, about four kilometers from the terminal.

Only buses from the Mindanao Rural Transit were seen operating between Iligan City and the other provinces and cities in Mindanao.

In Cagayan de Oro City, only a few jeepney drivers joined the transport strike, while in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, Tangub City, Ozamiz City and Misamis Occidental the situation remained normal, as most drivers did not participate in the strike.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Alejandro Lapinid reported to The STAR "total paralysis" of public transportation in Angeles City, where all drivers grounded their jeepneys at about noon.

Jeepneys plying routes from other towns to Angeles City stopped operations, including those from Mabalacat, Magalang, San Fernando City, Arayat and towns from the neighboring province of Tarlac, he added.

City police gave free rides for stranded passengers.

Scores of workers were reported stranded after taking jeepneys plying regular routes earlier in the day, which stopped as noontime approached.

Classes were suspended throughout Angeles City in anticipation of the transportation strike.

Waldy Santos, Piston spokesman for Central Luzon, estimated that public transportation was totally paralyzed in Angeles City, 90 percent in the rest of Pampanga, 90 percent in Pangasinan, 90 percent in Bulacan, and 90 percent in Tarlac.

He said that about 90 percent of jeepney drivers also joined the transportation strike in San Jose City in Nueva Ecija.

In Dagupan City, the nationwide transportation strike yesterday partly affected the riding public in some towns in Pangasinan, but no major problem was monitored in the city.

Superintendent Edgar Basbas, Dagupan police chief, said only jeepneys plying the San Carlos City-Dagupan City and Mangaldan-Dagupan City routes fully supported the strike.

In Lingayen, Calasiao, San Fabian, Pozorrubio and Sta. Barbara towns in Pangasinan, some jeepney drivers continued to ply their routes and ferry passengers, he added.

Basbas said they set up checkpoints in the entry and exit points in the city to prevent jeepney drivers from being harassed.

The public order and safety office has prepared trucks to ferry stranded passengers, he added.

Only the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan suspended classes yesterday.

Benny Aquino, Piston-Pangasinan chapter president, said the Dagupan-Binloc route was completely halted, while the Dagupan-(barangay) Bonuan Tondaligan route was 90 percent paralyzed.

Most drivers in Urdaneta City, and the towns of San Fabian, Mangaldan, and Sta. Barbara joined yesterday’s nationwide jeepney strike, he added. — Edith Regalado, Ding Cervantes, Sandy Araneta, Ric Sapnu, Nestor Etolle, Antonieta Lopez, Pete Laude, Non Alquitran, Eva Visperas, Cet Dematera, Cesar Ramirez, Jerry Botial, Rhodina Villanueva, Michael Punongbayan, Richel Umel