Bus firms have new take on 'strike'

MANILA, Philippines – Some of the buses that were supposed to ply their routes on Nov. 15, the day of the supposed strike, went back to their garages because they were blocked by groups of men along Litex Road in Quezon City, a lawyer said during a hearing of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) yesterday.

Humphrey Tumaneng, who represented Jell Transport Inc., said this was the experience of a number of other bus firms and this explained the absence of some buses on the road, especially along Commonwealth Avenue, on that day.

He said the unidentified groups of men were carrying stones as they blocked the buses, scaring the drivers into thinking that the windshield of their vehicles would be smashed if they would push through with plying their routes.

Also yesterday, the bus operators questioned the show cause order issued by the LTFRB, noting that they were not furnished a copy of a report made by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which was supposed to be the LTFRB’s basis in determining which bus firms to summon.

The LTFRB agreed to give the operators copies of the MMDA report and gave them three more days to submit their explanation on why they should not be penalized for being perceived to have gone on a strike.

Claire de la Fuente, president of the Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association and co-owner of Philippine Corinthian Liner Inc., maintained that no strike happened – even if they did declare one to protest the number-coding scheme for buses – and the absence of the buses from the roads was unintentional.

She mentioned that there were 1.5 million commuters in Metro Manila and only 3,000 were reported stranded on Nov. 15.