By: Emme Rose Santiagudo and Dolly Yasa
ILOILO City Mayor Jerry Treñas issued an executive order (EO) on Thursday suspending classes in all levels of both public and private schools on Sept 30, 2019 in anticipation of the nationwide transport strike.
An estimated 95 percent of transport groups in the city and province of Iloilo will join the transport holiday.
In EO No. 89 issued, Treñas said the suspension of classes will minimize the inconvenience brought about by the transport strike to the riding public, especially the students.
“Major transport groups in the country have announced their holding of a nationwide organized transport strike on Monday. The said transport strike will paralyze and cause inconvenience to the riding public especially the students, school faculty, including the parents and guardians,” read part of the EO.
Alyansa Kontra PUV Phase Out-Panay said they are expecting a 95% participation of various transport associations in Iloilo from tricycles, jeepneys, taxis and even vans in protest of the government’s modernization plan by way of phasing out old jeepneys.
Edgar Salarda, president of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Panay), said the protest is their way of airing out the concerns of the transport sector particularly on the jeepney phase out.
“Amo ni ang isa namon ka pamaagi nga maglunsar sang transport strike kon sa diin bitbit namon ang issues nga ginaatubang sang transport associations. Dako na ini nga impact sa aton gobyerno nga wala gapamati sa hibubun-ot sang transportasyon,” he said.
Salarda said the transportation sectors were triggered to protest following pronouncements that old jeepneys will be barred from plying the streets by July 2020.
“Sa statement ni Sec. Arthur Tugade nga mag-abot July 2020 wala na sang da-an kundi puro na bag-o. Nagapangayo man si Sec. Tugade, sang emergency power which means gusto nila padasigon ini nga wala pa gani na balay ang mga layi sa kongreso, gusto nila padasigon sapag-ngayo sang emergency power,” he lamented.
Once the emergency power is authorized, Salarda said that it would be like “martial law” for the transport sector since the affected operators cannot air out their concerns in courts.
Under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), jeepneys that are least 15 years old will be phased-out and replaced with the new models prescribed by the government.
The modern jeepney should conform to the Clean Air Act of 1999 which means that they will either have Euro-4 compliant emission system or electric motor that would emit less to almost no pollution.
Salarda said modern jeepneys cost as much as P2.4 million per unit which small-time jeepney operators cannot afford.
According to Salarda, there are about 13,000 jeepneys in Western Visayas, with over 6,000 units in the city and province of Iloilo.
Meanwhile, the transport strike will start at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
In Bacolod City, two local transport groups announced on Thursday that they will join the nationwide transport strike on Monday.
In a joint statement, the Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Negros (SSTONE) and Federation Bacolod City Drivers Association (Febacda) said they strongly oppose the phase-out of old PUVs and replacing them with Class 3 vehicles.
Another issue they are riling at is the LTFRB’s plans to consolidate the franchises by way of forming a corporation which will give way for the control of all PUVs in the country.
They claimed that under the LTFRB’s plans, all transport cooperatives will ultimately be abolished and subsumed by the corporations.
The groups further claimed that several transport cooperatives have already met a host of problems such as the unavailability of spare parts, thereby affecting their income and burying them deeper in bank debts.
They further clarified that they are not against modernization “per se” but the cost of the Class 3 vehicles is too expensive and beyond the reach of their drivers and operators.
