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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Anti-Arroyo groups prepare for protest
As transport leaders formed an alliance to spearhead a transport strike tomorrow, leaders of other anti-Arroyo groups have also banded for a bigger rally in Cebu.
Rudy Laconsa of the Association of Transport Organization Members Intra-Cebu City (Atomic) announced the formation of the Alliance of Transport Organization that will spearhead the transport strike.
Laconsa claimed that if the 1,000 card-bearing members of Atomic will participate in the strike, public transport in Cebu will be paralyzed.
The new alliance is also a member of the Labor-Power Council (LPC).
In the past weeks, the LPC has been consulting various groups of farmers, fishers, workers, drivers and students who are against the administration of President Arroyo to unite and support tomorrow’s protest-rally and transport strike.
Another newly formed coalition, the Coalition of Cebuanos Against Gloria, has announced the holding of a bigger rally tomorrow.
The group, the umbrella organization among all anti-Arroyo groups, will also hold a grand rally on Sept. 21, the 33rd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.
Start
Tomorrow’s rally marks the start of a series of protest actions against Arroyo until she heeds calls for her to resign.
Former President Corazon Aquino might visit Cebu to join one of the activities lined up for this month, but she would not be able to make it for this Wednesday’s rally, the group said.
Aside from former Cebu City mayor Alvin Garcia, other leaders who have signified their interest to join the mobilization are Fred Tuadles of the United Opposition, Victor Biaño of the Christian Nationalist Union Coalition for National Salvation, Rev. Carlos Muncada of Bangon Filipino and Fr. Herbert Fadriqueta of the White Ribbon Movement.
Also present in the meeting were Kit Enriquez of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Paul Rodriguez of Bayan-Central Visayas and Ma. Karen Papellero of the Arroyo Resign Movement of the Youth.
Joseph Naccion, political leader of defeated vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda, said it is time for their group to join the movement although Legarda won’t be able to attend protest rallies as she is concentrating on her electoral protest.
The new group took a cue from a statement of Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who had called on Cebuanos to stand up and take moral responsibility on today’s crisis.
Garcia yesterday said Cebuanos have “had enough of Arroyo as their patience had already worn out.”
He said the call to mobilize the people is no longer a political movement but the movement of the civil society and cause-oriented groups.
Arroyo turf
The group also wants to rebuff statements of most of the Cebuano politicians that Cebu is an Arroyo turf.
Tuadles, who claimed to have keenly observed the presidential elections in 2004 in Cebu, said the only place where Arroyo can rightfully claim victory is in Danao City.
Enriquez, IBP representative for the Gloria-Step Down Movement, said their group will come out in two months with a resolution appealing to the president to resign.
He pointed out that they had already lost their confidence in Congress since they “murdered” the impeachment process.
As for the strike, Laconsa said they are inviting Nagkahiusang Drivers sa Sugbo to join them, but still have to get a response.
Steve Cañas, chairman of the Visayas United Drivers Transport Service Cooperative, already said his group is not joining any transport strike because the public will suffer.
But Cooperative Development Authority Administrator Benjie Yu, former chairman and general manager of the Cebu Integrated Transport Service Cooperative, has appealed to strike participants not to harass drivers who want to ply their routes.
“The drivers want to survive from the economic crisis. This is the reason they want to ply on their routes despite the high prices of gasoline and crude (oil).
“Maluoy unta sila sa mga drivers nga mobiyahi aron dunay ipalit og bugas,” Yu said.
Land Transportation Office 7 Director Alex Leyson said they will monitor the strike and coordinate with Cebu City Traffic Operations Management so they can immediately respond to any untoward incident.
Director Rogelio Osmeña and Legal Officer Jose Douglas Sanson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 also said they will adopt a “wait-and-see” attitude and will accept any complaint from the public against jeepney owners who refuse to operate.
The jeepney franchise issued by LTFRB clearly states that public utility vehicles shall be operated for public convenience, and it will be a violation to jeepney operators to refuse to convey passengers to their destinations.
Leyson said that while drivers have the right to strike, they have no right to force others to join them. Doing so would mean revocation of their license. (EOB/LLV)
(September 20, 2005 issue)
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