WITH yesterday’s transport strike, some drivers of car and motorcycle-hailing apps reported slow bookings amid the rush.
Pete Warren Pacifico, Angkas motorycle driver from Barangay Punta Princesa in Cebu City, started driving at 5 a.m. yesterday. Expecting many would book a ride on a Monday and with jeepney drivers staying off the streets for the protest, he was left disappointed. By noon, he only booked six rides, far from his usual daily activity.
To minimize public inconvenience arising from the national transportation strike, the national government suspended classes and work in government offices yesterday.
The protest also halted the financial markets, with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines suspending clearing and settlement operations. The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) also suspended trading yesterday.
For non-traditional drivers, no work meant lean bookings for them and low take-home pay.
Most of Pacifico’s passengers are college students. On average, he earns P1,000 per day net of fuel since he became an Angkas driver last month.
Still hoping
“Basin inig ka hapon or gabii ani, managhan na ang mo-book. Pero naa na man siguro’y mga jeep ana,” the 35-year-old Pacifico noted. Holidays, which means no work and no classes, translate to meager income for the former sidewalk vendor and his family.
Likewise, Grab driver Reynold Bernal said car bookings were also slower than expected. He left his house in Talamban, Cebu City by 11 a.m. yesterday, and at around 2 p.m. he only made six bookings, mostly heading to the malls.
“Abi nako’g kusog kaayo ang bookings ron kay strike pero dili man. Naa ra po’y mga jeep nga nibyahe,” he said.
Members of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) marched from P. del Rosario to Colon St. a protest against the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program. However, the protesters then dispersed due to heavy downpour around 11 a.m yesterday.
This was the third nationwide strike against the modernization program. The first two was held in Feb. 27 and Sept. 25 this year.
Sought for comment on the strike, Grab Philipines public affairs manager Leo Emmanuel K. Gonzales said the transport company is doing its part amid the recent events.
“We can’t comment on that because it is not our place to comment on an event that doesn’t involve us. That said, Grab will always do its best to provide reliable, convenient, and safe ride to our commuters,” Gonzales told SunStar Cebu in a text message yesterday.
Resistance
Last June, The Department of Transportation (DOTr) launched the modernization program where it will phase out PUVs 15 years old and older. To promote safer and environment-friendly mass transport options by 2020, jeepneys need be replaced with Euro 4 engines or electrically-powered engines with solar panels for roofs.
There are also proposals for PUVs to have speed limiters, a GPS navigation system, dashboard cameras, an automated fare collection system, Wi-Fi, and closed-circuit television cameras. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board previously said around 180,000 jeepneys will have to be replaced upon its implementation.