Citing a report from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Tigil Pasada, there were no reports of stranded passengers despite the continuous conduct of picket protest of some groups particularly at the Heritage in Baclaran, Old Terminal in Alabang, Monumento in Caloocan City and Catmon/St. Francis St. in Malabon.
“The Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) and different government agencies have successfully assisted commuters affected by Monday’s transport group strike, which authorities said, failed to cause major disruption in the metropolis’ public transportation,” the PCO said.
On the first day of the one-week strike on Monday, March 6, it said a total of 4,794 passengers were catered by free rides launched by various government agencies to minimize the impact of the disturbance to the commuting public.
In a television interview, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Technical Division head Joel Bolano said only almost 10 percent of the routes in Metro Manila have been affected by the strike.
He said aside from Metro Manila, several PUV drivers in Calabarzon and Central Luzon joined the strike.
The groups were opposing the implementation of the PUV modernization program, which aims to replace the old and traditional jeepneys with high-quality and environment-friendly vehicles with bigger capacity. (SunStar Philippines)