Transport strike affects parts of Pampanga but fizzles out in rest of Luzon
ANGELES CITY—The centralized transport terminal at Bayanihan Park here appeared to be an abandoned place early Monday as the majority of “in-city” and “outside city limit” public utility jeeps or jeepneys were nowhere to be found in the area. Elsewhere in the city, scores of jeepneys were parked at their designated areas but were not taking any passengers. Eric Tulio, vice president of 300-member Checkpoint-Holy Angel Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association, said they began plying their routes early on Monday but were forced to stop by 7 a.m. after protesting drivers asked them for their support for the two-day transport strike. The strike, organized by transport group Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers, was aimed at opposing the ongoing public utility vehicle modernization program and to demand that traditional jeepneys be allowed to continue operating beyond the given deadline of Dec. 31. Tulio also said that he and his members wanted to avoid any possible confrontation with the striking drivers that could turn violent, particularly after they saw the smashed window of a jeepney driven by a member of the Concepcion Transport Cooperative plying the Concepcion-Bayanihan Park route. Angeles City has four associations of jeepney drivers and operators that have about 200 to 300 members each. No effect Angeles City and Clark Development Corp. also mobilized vehicles to provide free rides to stranded commuters. In Mabalacat City in Pampanga, all jeepney groups joined the strike, but the move barely stranded the commuters since the local government provided free shuttles. In-person classes in Mabalacat and the entire Pampanga province were canceled until Tuesday but students and teachers were asked to hold modular lessons so as not to interrupt their classes. Police Col. Levi Hope Basilio, Pampanga provincial director, said the transport strike in the province fizzled out because local governments sent out vehicles for free rides to work. In Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), the transport strike did not disrupt the daily flow of public transportation. The rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao did not report any disruption in public transport on Monday. —WITH REPORTS FROM TONETTE T. OREJAS, JETHRO BRYAN ANDRADA AND GERMELINA LACORTE INQ
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