QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — The Stop and Go coalition has called off a transport strike it was supposed to hold on Tuesday, September 26.
Jun Magno, president of the transport group, made the announcement after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said that members of the group who participated on the first day of the transport strike on Monday, September 25, may face a suspension of their franchises.
Atty. Aileen Lizada, LTFRB board member, said that what they did, after all, was a violation of LTFRB Memorandum Circular 2011 – 004.
The memorandum states that public utility vehicle operators “shall ensure that the commuting public has adequate, safe, convenient, environment-friendly and dependable public land transportation services at reasonable rates…”
The strike on Monday affected around 5,000 commuters in Metro Manila.
It also prompted authorities to suspend classes in several parts of Bulacan.
In Laguna, there were also reports of at least two routes being affected after jeepney drivers and operators participated in the strike.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority put in place buses that provided free rides to commuters affected by the Monday strike.
Magno’s group organized what was supposed to be the two-day strike to oppose the government’s jeepney modernization program.
According to Magno, under the program, there would be a gradual phaseout of PUVs that were more than 15 years old, and drivers would have to secure big loans to acquire the new vehicles.