Tom: Proceed with classes
Classes in Cebu City will continue despite an order from Malacañang last night to suspend classes in elementary and high school in areas nationwide affected by the transport strike today.
"As far as I am concerned, I haven't received an order to cancel the classes. I presumed there is still a class tomorrow," said Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Councilor Dave Tumulak, Cebu City’s deputy mayor on police matters, told The FREEMAN last night that a local government unit, either a city or a town, has autonomy and knows the real situation on the field, thus can make its own decisions.
He also pointed out that compared to other LGUs, drivers in Cebu City that will join the strike today are fewer.
Earlier, it was only Talisay City and Mandaue City that suspended classes – all levels in Talisay and pre-school and public elementary schools in Mandaue.
Last night, the Office of the Executive Secretary said a separate announcement will be made at 11 a.m. today on the status of classes in the college level.
Transport groups are protesting the move of government to get rid of jeepneys that are at least 15 years old. The strike will run from 4 a.m. until 3 p.m.
As of yesterday, only the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) Central Visayas, which has 500 members, assured full participation in today’s strike.
Meanwhile, not all the 2,000 members of the Transportworkers UnionCentral Visayas (NCTUCV) will join.
Also yesterday, the Cebu Integrated Transport Multi-purpose Cooperative (CITRASCO), which has 1,000 members, reiterated their decision not to join the strike.
"Stick to no strike ang CITRASCO," said its general manager Ryan Yu.
For its part, PISTONCV coordinator Greg Perez said their movement here is to support their counterparts in Manila. Yesterday, PISTON members went around to distribute flyers about today’s strike.
Yu, pointed out, however, "Piston has only less than a hundred nga true PUJ drivers. Ang members nila sa Mandaue are tricycle drivers. If dili sila ubanan sa urban poor groups under sa Bayan, wala kay makita kaayo nga strikers."
What he’s afraid of, Yu said, “is kung ila panghadlokon ang mga drivers nga dili mu apil sa strike."
SECURITY
Police Regional Office Director Noli Taliño said security will be provided in the streets and situation will be monitored continuously.
“We’ll just provide security and maintain the peace and order,” he said.
Cebu City Police Director Joel Doria also said they are ready for today’s strike.
“May deployment po tayo na bus marshall at CDM (Crowd Dispersal Management) platoon. May mobile patrol din po tayo covering the whole Cebu City,” he said.
COMMUTER
OPTIONS
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) - 7 will deploy buses in Mandaue, LapuLapu and Cebu City as it continues to appeal for drivers here not to join the strike.
"We will be deploying buses to help ferry stranded passengers but my appeal continues for them nga di na lang unta nila ipadayon ilang strike ugmang adlawa," LTFRB-7 Director Ahmed Cuizon said yesterday.
LTFRB-7 will deploy at least 20 buses for Cebu City, five for Mandaue City, and five for LapuLapu City.
"The flat rate will be P10," Cuizon said.
Cuizon added he has requested for police presence in chokepoints.
Local government units have also put plans in place.
Cebu City will deploy 150 transport vehicles, 120 of which are vans for hire. The V-hires, which will go around the city, will offer a P10 fare.
Meanwhile, 15 Ceres buses will ferry passengers to long distance barangays like Guadalupe, Talamban and Bulacao. Fare also is P10.
Also, at least 15 Kaohsiung buses will be deployed, free of charge.
Tumulak told The FREEMAN personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Cebu City Police Office will monitor the city to ensure peace during the strike.
In Mandaue City, Mayor Luigi Quisumbing said trucks, buses, and other large vehicles will be deployed to help stranded motorists.
Talisay City, for its part, will deploy three city-owned buses that can transport the estimated 300 residents, students, and workers who commute to Cebu City regularly.
The buses will wait for commuters at 6 a.m. at the national highway in Barangay Tabunok near BDO and near the new Tabunok Public Market.
CONSULTATION
Today, CITRASCO, NCTU, the Alyansa sa Nagkahiusang Draybers at Operators Nationwide, and Basak Lapu-Lapu Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association will submit a formal proposal, which will ask LTFRB to consider a genuine transport group consultation to come up with collaborative and inclusive solutions to transport problems.
They said the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) must involve the transport sector and other stakeholders in its jeepney modernization program.
"We are not against modernization, but our government has no plan or study how it will be implemented and we are not also against modernization of jeepneys. But we are opposing the mandatory replacements of current jeepneys to the supposedly new imported e-jeeps [electric jeepneys] or even new Euro 4-type jeeps, which is very costly and expensive," the group said.
The group is proposing to phase out jeepneys that are 15 years old and above only in January 2018 and for LTFRB to formulate rules on the phase-out/ modernization of PUJs.
They said further that the government and the transport sector must agree on the timeframe of a life of a jeepney, which must be 20 years, and when government phases out the jeepneys, it must buy the jeepneys to help operators/ owners buy brand new vehicles.