Febacda, Action shun transport strike

Monday, May 9, 2011

DRIVERS and operators of the Bacolod Federation of Drivers Association (Febacda) and Action Inc. will not join the two-day transport strike on May 16 and 17.

Febacda chairperson Elizabeth Katalbas and Action head Teddy Macainan confirmed this Sunday they will not join the strike to be spearheaded by the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc).

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Febacda has 16 allied transport organizations in Bacolod City while most of the taxi operators in the city and double-tire public transport vehicles plying the southern Negros routes are members of Action, Macainan said.

Both transport groups are affiliate members of party-list group 1-Utak.

On the other hand, Undoc is reputedly the largest transport organization in the province, with 46 local affiliates all over Negros Occidental.

The decision to hold the two-day transport strike was made Friday last week by the multi-sectoral groups in a forum spearheaded by Undoc, Negros Truckers Association, Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), Bayan and Bayan-Muna.

Nilo Frias, Undoc assistant secretary general, said that the transport strike is aimed at dramatizing their protest regarding government's inaction on P4 to P5 per liter the fuel price disparity in the province compared to prices in Metro Manila and other provinces.

They also demand for a transparent pricing formula from the oil companies in the country.

Undoc expects to paralyze 95 percent of transportation in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental during the two-day transport strike.

Frias said they will finalize their plans for the said transport strike during the council meeting on May 11.

Meanwhile, Katalbas said they share the sentiments of Undoc and the business sector in the province.

However, their groups have to abide with the decision of their mother organization 1-UTAK, which is against the transport strike.

According to Katalbas, they need not sacrifice the two days’ income that would be missed by the drivers and the operators who depend on plying their routes for their daily income. Instead, they leave it to the government to solve the problem on high fuel prices.

She added 1-UTAK officers already informed them that, after Metro Manila, Bacolod drivers are next in line to be given the Pantawid Pasada subsidy of P1,050 per driver.

Aside from the Pantawid Pasada subsidy, Febacda members were also promised that 1-UTAK will give them 400 free Philhealth Cards, scholarship program for their children and other livelihood projects, said Katalbas.

She added the party-list group is also working out for more fuel discounts for their driver-members with the oil companies.

During a meeting at the Regional Office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), Katalbas revealed that she and Undoc secretary general Jessie Ortega agreed to respect each group's decision about the issue hounding the transport sector.

"We ask Undoc officers and members that they just continue with their rallies but they should never intimidate our drivers to force them to join the transport strike," Katalbas appealed.

For his part, Macainan explained that drivers and operators of shuttle service vehicles going to the Silay airport are their members and they cannot afford to create a vacuum if they join the transport strike.

If they join the strike, the tourism industry of the province will be affected, he added. (TED)