Monday, May 12, 2008 Drivers vow to cripple public transport Monday By Anabelle L. Ricalde
POLICE in Cagayan de Oro will be on the streets as early as 2 a.m. Monday as militant drivers vowed to start the nationwide transport strike early.
Chief Inspector Dexter Paje, station commander of Police Station 4 in Barangay Carmen, said the entire Cagayan de Oro police force will be deployed to make sure that militant drivers will not resort in throwing iron spikes to prevent other drivers from plying the streets.
"We will be there to make sure the commuters and the drivers who will not join the strike will not be harmed," Paje said.
He said 15 police officers will be joined by members of the City Mobile Group and will be stationed at the KSY Junction in Barangay Carmen.
But Wildon Barros, Kilusang Mayo Uno spokesperson, said iron spikes and burning of old tires will not be allowed by their ranks.
"Dili practice sa grupo nga manglabay og suyak, unsaon naman lang kung ang maigo mao ang mga government agencies nga maoy mo-responds kung dunay mga emergecny calls (It is not the practice of our group to throw iron spikes. What if the victims are government agencies responding to emergencies)," Barros said.
The militant KMU is joining the Solidarity Transport Alliance in Region X (Starex), which have called for a transport strike nationwide Monday to protest the almost weekly increase in the fuel pump prices.
Armando Naul, Starex secretary general, said they are demanding the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law and the scrapping of the expanded value added tax (VAT).
"Dili fare hike ang panawagan sa grupo kay dili sulbad ang usbaw kondili ang pagwagtang sa mga balaod nga walay hinungdan (Our group is not calling for fare hike because such is not a solution instead the scrapping of the useless law," Naul said.
He said they are demanding for a rollback in oil prices and the passage of the P125 to 300 across-the-board legislated wage hike.
The militant leaders said activists and striking drivers will converged as early as 4 a.m. Monday in their traditional chokepoints in Barangays Puerto, Bulua, Carmen, and Lapasan.
Naul said they will hold a picket rally later Monday in Licoan junction, one of the traditional chokepoints.
Motorela and jeepney drivers who are plying barangays Bonbon, Bayabas, NHA, Camp Philips, Route 1, and Jasaan have signified they will be joining Monday's strike.
Starex chair Joel Gabatan said they are aiming to paralyze 95 percent of the vehicle traffic in Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao.
Similar transport strikes will be held in Iligan and Metro Manila Monday.
