Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Nadsu holds protests in city
THE nationwide transport strike was barely felt in Cebu, as most transport groups here continued to ply their regular routes.
Some members of the Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo (Nadsu), which is affiliated with the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston), conducted a protest caravan with a convoy of at least 20 passenger jeepneys that made rounds at the regional offices of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Department of Energy and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 yesterday morning.
Drivers protested the soaring prices of petroleum products and pushed for a fare increase—the same demands that Piston asked in the nationwide mass action it led across the country.
But LTFRB 7 Director Romulo Bernardes said they will not bow down to pressures outside their jurisdiction to hastily resolve the petition for a fare increase, including the application for a provisional hike.
He said the petition for a provisional hike of public utility jeepneys’ (PUJ) fare has been set for hearing today.
In deciding the petition, the LTFRB has to consider the general welfare of public and not only the welfare of the drivers, Bernardes told protesters outside the LTFRB 7 office.
Aside from an increase in the minimum fare of P6 to P7.50, Nadsu secretary-general Ruben Rama said they also want the Oil Deregulation Law repealed and the implementation of the Expanded-Value Added Tax (E-VAT) suspended.
Bernardes reminded operators and drivers of PUJs of their responsibility to provide transport services to the general public.
He said a refusal to convey or the abandonment of a route violates that duty.
He also said that the issues regarding the E-VAT and oil prices are the responsibilities of Congress, not the LTFRB.
Bernardes said majority of public transport groups nationwide did not join the transport holiday because they are aware of their duties to the riding public.
“Although they emphasizedthe plight of the transport sector amidst the increasing fuel prices, they, at the same time, hesitate to add to the misery of the public by way of (staging a) transport strike,” read a press statement from Bernardes.
He said the LTFRB has prepared contingency measures against any persistent strike.
“It will protect public interest against efforts to make them unwilling victims of strike organizers,” he said.
The measures include encouraging legitimate operators-drivers to continue public transport services on their regular routes, protecting responsible operators against possible threats and coercion, requiring operators who will participate in a strike to explain their act and penalize them if evidence may warrant, and providing free rides to the public in abandoned or adversely affected areas.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador, for his part, said transport strikes don’t prosper in the city because the City Government deploys vehicles to ferry the commuting public.
Most of the drivers also prefer to continue with their jobs to support the daily needs of their respective families, he said.
Besides, Comendador added, both the City Government and the police are lenient with protesters during rallies, giving them the venue to air their sentiments.
In fact, protesters outside the LTFRB 7 were served refreshments, courtesy of Bernardes.
Senior Insp. Renero Agustin of the CCPO’s operations section estimated the number of rallyists to be around 100.
One platoon of civil disturbance management was on standby, but the protest ended shortly before noon without any confrontation.
Last week, LTFRB Chairman Thompson Lantion said that the government would provide an additional P2 fuel subsidy above the existing P1 discount from oil companies.
Lantion said the mechanics were prepared by the LTFRB, the Department of Transportation and Communication, the LTO, the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Budget and Management, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Finance and representatives from oil companies.
Lantion added that in the implementation of the scheme, the LTFRB will issue franchise verifications and fuel subsidy passbooks.
PUJ and taxi operators can get the P2 subsidy equivalent to a maximum of 30 liters a day, while passenger buses have a maximum of 150 liters a day. (EOB/JST)
