A total of four transport group leaders and two others were arrested by the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Civil Disturbance Management (CDM) team and Police Station 2 for allegedly stoning the police at Lacson Street, Bacolod City on Wednesday morning, September 18.
Police identified the suspects as Lilian Sembrano, president of Kabacod Negros Transport Organization (KNETCO); Rudy Catedral, president of Bacolod Alliance of Commuters Operators and Drivers Inc. (BACOD)-Manibela; Rodolfo Gardose, chairman of United Negros Drivers and Operator Center-Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (UNDOC PISTON); Eric Bindoy, secretary-general of (UNDOC PISTON).
Also arrested were Shalimar Saleut, member of BACOD; and Melchor Umangayon, a member of KNETCO.
Major Eugene Tolentino, commander of Police Station 2, said at least 120 members of the transport groups, which were composed of traditional jeepney drivers and operators, assembled at Lacson Street at about 8 a.m.
He said the transport groups were airing their sentiments to a private group who was conducting a seminar at L' Fisher Hotel.
He added the suspects and their members were not invited to said event, a Philippine Commercial Vehicle Show-Visayas, but they gathered in the area and held their protest without a permit.
" They were creating alarm and scandal and traffic at Lacson Street, which is a non-parking area, but still they occupied from 15th to 17th streets," Tolentino said.
He said they insisted to join in the event to talk to its guest, but they were not invited.
He added the police tried to negotiate with them four times, but they took a stone and threw it at the police.
Tolentino noted that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) along with the CDM tried to disperse the protesters using water cannon.
Tolentino said some of the transport group members were also carrying wood and stone.
He said one of the uniformed personnel was injured, and the protesters were dispersed at about noon.
The police are now preparing the documents to file the complaint against the suspect for direct assault and disobedience, among others.
Moreover, Jovel Malunes, secretary general of Kabakod, said they are hopeful that Sembrano and five others will be released soon. /MAP.