EDITORIAL — Why punish the commuters?

If all goes as planned, transport groups Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) and Samahang Manibela Mananakay at Nagkaisang Terminal ng Transportasyon (Manibela) are pushing through with three-day nationwide transport strikes starting today.

Manibela set its strike for September 17 to 19, while Piston said its members will protest from September 18 to 21.

As with almost anything these days, this is to protest against the corruption in flood-control project dealings.

“Money that should fund the rehabilitation of jeepneys and improve public transport is being stolen and spent on luxury cars… You’re already in great debt because of the modernization, and your taxes are being stolen,” Piston said in a statement.

Yes, the drivers, one of the more overlooked sectors in society, also have the right to show their outrage at the corruption in the flood-control projects.

But they are barking up the wrong tree. By staging a protest that will inconvenience the riding public, the drivers are targeting the wrong individuals. It’s like being angry at a certain group of people but turning that anger into action on another group of people entirely.

What exactly do commuters like students, ordinary office workers, and laborers, among others, have to do with those stolen billions after all?

Drivers are better off refusing rides to Department of Public Works and Highways officials, contractors, and government officials accused of being in cahoots in the corruption. But, wait, these people have their own cars --heck, some have a fleet of them-- so they won’t be affected by a transport strike.

But the riding public will be affected; the same people who have every reason to be as outraged as the drivers but who have none of the fault.

So why punish the commuters?

In the end, not only will these drivers fail to reach those they want to aggrieve, but they will also deny themselves their own pay for three days. They will suffer and the commuters will suffer while the corrupt officials and contractors will be unaffected and laughing.