LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion said that based on field reports of LTFRB regional offices, 90 to 95 percent of registered PUVs nationwide plied their routes yesterday.

According to LTFRB executive director Emmanuel Mahipus, there are about 345,000 registered PUVs in the country.

Save for Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao, and some areas in the Bicol region, Mahipus said the transport strike was insignificant.

He added that in Metro Manila, the government deployed only two out of 10 buses on standby to ferry commuters affected by the strike. The two buses were deployed in Divisoria in Manila and Monumento, Caloocan City.

Passenger volume at the stations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines 1 and 2, and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) were also reportedly at normal levels yesterday.

Lantion said the strike was "generally peaceful," but they also received reports of harassment made by protesters to non-participating drivers particularly in Malabon, San Pablo in Laguna, some parts of the McArthur highway in Bulacan, Legazpi City, and Cagayan de Oro City.

Protesters in these areas scattered metal spikes, and threw stones at jeepneys and buses that refused to join the protest.

In San Pablo City, Laguna, five units of the JAC Liner bus company reportedly suffered flat tires because of spikes on the road, causing hundreds of passengers to be left without a ride.

Lantion said they will summon PISTON leaders to explain why they should not be penalized for their actions, noting that staging a strike is a violation of their franchise especially since it was intended to paralyze public transportation systems in the country.

He added that the strike might also affect PISTON’s pending petition for an P8.50 standard fare for jeepneys nationwide if they fail to come up with a valid reason why they staged the protest action.

The LTFRB’s assessment, however was way off Piston’s own assessment of the strike.

PISTON spokesman George San Mateo claimed they were able to paralyze 75 percent of the public transportation system in Metro Manila, and 90 percent nationwide.

San Mateo said they had completely paralyzed the transportation system in Iligan City, 90 percent in the Bicol Region particularly in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Legazpi City, 98 percent in Davao City, and 96 percent and 95 percent of transportation in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental and Kidapawan City, Cotabato, respectively.

San Mateo said they were able to successfully stage the strike despite alleged efforts of the government to "divide the transport sector."

Other jeepney, bus, and taxi organizations of drivers and operators chose not to join Piston in their rally after some negotiations with the government.

San Mateo said they were also glad to hear that oil firm Petron Corp. has reportedly said that it will be implementing P.50 per liter weekly oil price hike instead of the original plan of P1 per liter weekly, because of the strike.

Piston staged the strike to press the government to immediately repeal the 12 percent value added tax imposed on petroleum products and abolish the Oil Deregulation Law which the group claims are the culprits behind the spiraling fuel prices in the country.

LTFRB fails to issue resolution on fare petition

The LTFRB yesterday failed to issue a resolution on the petition of public utility jeepney (PUJ) groups for a P.50 provisional hike from the current P7.50 minimum PUJ fare in the National Capital Region as well as in the Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon regions because of the various opposition raised against the request.

The provisional fare hike is being requested by the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP) while their main petition -- a P1.50 hike to the minimum fare of jeepneys covering the first four kilometers traveled, in these regions -- is being heard by the agency.

FEJODAP and their allied jeepney groups are also asking for a P.50 increase to the current P1.25 rate for every kilometer traveled after the first four kilometers of the ride.

The LTFRB gave the fare hike petitioner 15 days to respond to the opposition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General which represents commuters; an individual petitioner in Antonio Baltazar of Tondo, Manila, and a little-known consumer group.

LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion said if the counsel of the petitioner could submit their reply to the oppositors’ affidavits earlier than the 15-day period, the board would immediately issue its resolution.

Lantion said the LTFRB could have issued a resolution on the petition for a provisional fare hike yesterday, but the petitioners failed to show up during the first scheduled hearing last May 6.

If the provisional fare increase of P.50 is approved, the minimum fare of jeepneys in Metro Manila and nearby regions will be raised to P8.

The Provincial and Metro Manila public utility bus (PUB) organizations’ pending petitions for a provisional fare hike are also up for resolution in the coming days, Lantion said.

Earlier, LTFRB board member Gerardo Pinili said that if there would be an adjustment in the fares of PUVs, it should be implemented before the school year opens next month for parents and students to be able to adjust to the new rates.

Aside from the possible granting of the provisional fare hike petitions of PUJs and PUBs, Lantion said officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC), Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance, and oil firms would meet to discuss the implementation of the planned P2 per liter diesel subsidy to legitimate public utility vehicles as well as delivery trucks to mitigate the effects of skyrocketing prices of petroleum products.

Boy Vargas, president of the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP) thanked the DoTC for the planned subsidy but also appealed for a strict distribution of the subsidy cards so the fund would only go to legitimate PUVs.

In response, Lantion assured that the cards are non-transferable and that only PUVs registered in the franchise database of the LTFRB would benefit from the subsidy. (JC Bello Ruiz)

Strike fizzles out in CAMANAVA

The transport strike launched yesterday by PISTON was hardly felt in the CAMANAVA (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) area as drivers continued to ply their routes.

The Northern Police District (NPD) said that except for some areas in the area, drivers of public utility vehicles ignored the call of the transport group to join the mass action.

Senior Supt. Celestino Malungcut, chief of the NPD’s operations division, said the strike did not seem to have the full support of the entire public transport sector as it was not felt in the northern portion of Metro Manila.

Malungcut said that the NPDO had on standby at least two six-by-six trucks which would have been used if the strike in northern Metro Manila worsened.

As early as 7 a.m., some PISTON members converged at the Monumento area and urged other drivers to join the protest.

The members of the tansport group also urged the public to support the call on the government to scrap taxes on petroleum products. Police also rushed to the area after some persons scattered metal spikes near Monumento, damaging tires of three passenger jeepneys. No one was arrested. (Willie L. Catapat and Ed Mahilum)

Makati transport groups stay away from strike

Makati-based transport groups did not participate in the nationwide strike spearheaded by PISTON yesterday, local traffic and police officials said.

Department of Public Safety (DPS) director Herminigildo San Miguel said operations of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) remained normal, particularly in the city’s busy Central Business District.

Nevertheless, he said the entire force of the Makati Public Safety (MAPSA) traffic unit was fielded in the streets to assist commuters and motorists in Makati.

Meanwhile, Makati chief of police Supt. Gilbert Cruz said they have not received complaints or reports from the public regarding the absence or lack of jeepneys in the streets.

"We’re crediting this to the transport organizations here in Makati that did not participate in the strike," Cruz said.

On Sunday, the Makati Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (MJODA) announced that it would not participate, saying it opted to continue the dialogue with the government regarding long-term solutions to rising fuel prices.

"We respect their rights to hold a transport strike, but as for our group, our operations in Makati City will continue and will remain normal," MJODA president Orlando "Ka Lando" Marquez said.

He said they did not see the necessity of holding a transport holiday as of this moment since discussions between transport groups and the government are still ongoing.

"We believe that discussing the problem and not a transport strike is the best solution to our problem. To look at it, when we stage a transport strike, at the end of the day, we will be back to the discussion table and again discuss things with the government," he said. (Kris Bayos)

Strike fails to paralyze eastern Metro Manila

The transport strike in the eastern part of Metro Manila was a "flop" as commuters hardly felt the effects of the protest action yesterday.

Vehicles of local government units – cities of Marikina, Pasig, San Juan and Marikina – were reserved in case commuters fail to report to their offices because of the nationwide strike staged by the Pagkakaisa mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) and other transport groups but were not used because different groups did not show their support to the action.

In Marikina, Ricardo Domingo of City Office of Public Safety and Security (OPSS) said that only a few jeepney operators joined the strike and that it did not paralyze public transport in the city.

"We provided free vehicles to ferry passengers for stranded passengers to be accommodated in case but hindi naman nagamit," Domingo said.

Moreover, Domingo stressed that the city government has good relationship with transport groups.

In Pasig City, Ricardo Saltorre of the City’s Action Line said the strike failed to cripple public transport from to city to Quiapo, Makati, Pateros, and Quezon City.

"It is the result of the good relationship between transport groups and that of the local government so we were not affected," he said, adding that free rides were also prepared for any eventuality.

"No unusual incident here, maliban sa mangilan-ngilan na nagbibigay ng leaflets. Continuous ang takbo ng transport groups," he said.

In San Juan, PO3 Johnny Montilla of the traffic division said there was no strike in their area.

The strike was not even felt in Mandaluyong City: "Parang wala naman pong strike dahil normal ang flow ng mga sasakyan," Vangie Solis, of the Mandaluyong traffic enforcement division staff, said. (Anna Liza T. Villas)

12 arrested for "spiking" roads in Laguna

SAN PEDRO, Laguna -- Twelve persons were arrested yesterday morning by local police while in the act of scattering nails on the road and harassing jeepney drivers who did not join the nationwide transport strike along the national highway in Barangay Nueva, this town.

Superintendent Jolly B. Dizon, San Pedro chief of police, said the arrested persons reportedly received orders from an official of PASTRAJODA, a member of PISTON.

Dizon said the suspects were nabbed at about 10 a.m. yesterday after throwing nails and harassing jeepney drivers to paralyze public transport along the national highway in Barangay Nueva.

Meanwhile, the provincial government of Agusan del Norte and the city of Butuan were open for business Monday despite of the transport strike staged by the transport group PISTON in this region’s capital city.

Agusan del Norte Gov. Erlfe Amante and Butuan City Mayor Democrito Plaza, said it was business as usual, and all government transactions proceeded as division chiefs, employees and workers were required to report in their respective areas of responsibility. (Ferdinand Castro and Mike U. Crismundo)

Jeepney, tricycle drivers groups in C. Luzon join strike

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga – Thousands of jeepney and tricycle drivers in the provinces of Central Luzon yesterday joined the nationwide transport strike call of PISTON to pressure the Arroyo government into taking extreme measures for the immediate scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law and the removal of expanded value-added tax (EVAT) on petroleum products, according to Workers’ Alliance in Region III (WAR3) chairperson, Angie Ladera.

Ladera said major jeepney and tricycle drivers federations and associations in the cities of Angeles and San Fernando, and Mabalacat town in Pampanga, in Meycuayan, Malolos, Baliwag, and Sta. Maria in Bulacan, in Concepcion, Capas, and Bamban in Tarlac, and in Dagupan City, Pangasinan participated in the strike.

Most of the jeepney drivers interviewed expressed anger and discontent over the failure of the government to stop the constant increases in the prices of diesel and gasoline.

"Teribli na! Sobra ne ing pamagtas ning krudu! Lalu da lang pandamusakan deng mangalati! (It’s terrible! The oil price increases are just too much! The poor people are being trampled on even more!)," said Mang Poncing Infante, a long-time leader of Angeles-Pandan Jeepney Drivers Association.

"Like the workers, Central Luzon jeepney and tricycle drivers, operators and their families live in the worst of times. The unceasing upsurge in the pump prices of diesel, gasoline, kerosene and LPG in so short a time reduced earnings of drivers by almost half while at the same time, the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed. Drivers who used to be able to bring home to their family daily net earnings of P400-500 for the same period of last year now have no choice but to make do with P200 to P300 a day," Ladera said. (Franco G. Regala)