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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Transport strike ends as Arroyo signs EO 172 (5:09 p.m.)
MANILA -- Major public transport groups staged strike on Tuesday morning but decided to stop later after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved their much-awaited implementation of the single-ticketing system.
Land Transportation Office (LTO) Chief Alberto Suansing said at 11:00 in the morning the leaders of major public transport groups agreed to stop the strike after receiving a copy of Executive Order (EO) 172.
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Leandro Mendoza said EO 172 will cover, among others, the single-ticketing system, truck ban, terminal fees, and franchise to tricycle operators. The EO will be implemented in 15 days.
Mendoza said the DOTC and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will conduct a review of different ticketing systems in all cities and municipalities in Metro Manila.
Early Tuesday morning, hundreds of commuters were stranded in various parts of southern and Metro Manila, as drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) joined the strike.
Rally organizers said 90 to 95 percent of public transports were paralyzed.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deployed buses, cars, and trucks to ferry passengers to their destinations.
The MMDA also lifted the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or commonly known as the "number-coding" for private vehicles to lessen the number of people stranded by the strike. (AH/Sunnex) |
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