ILOILO CITY, Philippines -- The start of the two-day transport strike yesterday has direly affected a considerable number of city and provincial routes in Iloilo.
As of noon yesterday, the Police Regional Office-6 and the Iloilo City Police Office declared that more than 80 percent of the public land transportation was paralyzed.
PRO-6 director Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr. and ICPO director Sr. Supt. Marietto Valerio, Sr. inspected all major land transport terminals in Iloilo City, and both saw the adverse impact of the strike.
"Jeepney routes like Iloilo City to Central Iloilo and vice versa, Iloilo City - Northern Iloilo and Iloilo City -Southern Iloilo were affected by the transport strike," Querol said.
On the other hand, the Kahublagan Kontra Kartel, a coalition of transport groups and people's organizations, said it hit the expected 95-98 percent paralysis mark.
Nick Dalisay, president of the Iloilo City Alliance of Drivers Associations (ICADA), said that 95 percent of the public transport sector joined in the transport strike along with 98 percent of the PUJs.
Joining ICADA in the transport holiday is the Federation of Iloilo Jeepney Operators Drivers Association, the Association of Panay Taxi Operators Drivers Association (APTODA) led by Benjie Clavel, and Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) Panay led by Edgar Salarda.
A number of city-loop jeepneys like Jaro CPU, Jaro Liko-Tagbak and Metro Iloilo jeepneys Leganes-Iloilo City, Sta. Barbara-Iloilo, and Mohon Terminal were still plying their routes yesterday morning
Alex Martinez, president of the Jaro Liko-Tagbak jeepneys, however said some of their members just work for a few hours to buy food for the family for two days.
Towards noontime, they stopped conveying passengers, said Martinez, adding that their organization also provided a ganta of rice and two canned goods daily to each of their members.
There were others who did not join the strike though. Alfredo Parcon, a member of Sta. Barbara-Pavia Operators Drivers Association (SPODA), said they did not because there was no advice from their president, Lino Alemania, but they are ready to participate if told.
Transport organizations that will join the strike will not operate from midnight of May 2 and will return to the streets by midnight of May 4.
Transport groups, in their strike, said they are calling for the scrapping of the oil deregulation law and the 12 percent Expanded Value Tax for petroleum products, and the overpricing of crude prices by as much as P7.50 per liter.
Not all places in Region 6 were however hit by the strike. In Aklan, only the Libacao and Kalibo areas were affected. In Capiz, there was a notably normal transport situation although police authorities got reports of harassment from few drivers who joined in the strike.
Valerio, on the other hand, said the ICPO has been on full alert and policemen would be deployed to strategic areas in Iloilo City. The police, the Philippine Army, and the city government also offered "Libreng Sakay" among stranded passengers. (FREEMAN)