Protesting members of the transport sector decided not to push through with the second day of their supposedly 3-day strike on Thursday because they were “too tired” from their activities the previous day.
In an interview, Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela) president Mar Valbuena said it was still uncertain whether their transport strike would resume on Friday.
“We really got too tired because of the series of events we had… Many of our members are still asleep because they were really tired. I will update you later (if the strike will resume on Friday),” he told the Manila Standard in Filipino.
However, Valbuena noted that several Manibela members continued to hold small protest actions within their own terminals.
Valbuena yesterday claimed that about 5,000 operators and drivers of public utility jeepneys joined the transport strike.
Manibela, along with Piston, earlier announced a three-day strike from Aug. 14 to 16 after President Marcos rejected a Senate resolution to suspend the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) leadership belittled the latest attempt to paralyze public transportation in the country, saying no transport strike launched within the past year has proven successful.
“If the measure of their success is the disruption of public transport, causing inconvenience to commuters, and we are offering free rides, I don’t think it’s a success,” MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said.
“Our president has already said that the modernization program will not be suspended. In that aspect, I can say that the strike was not successful,” he added.
Artes stressed that the national government has reached a point where it can no longer be held hostage by defiant groups through threats and transport strikes.
He attributed the minimal effects of transport strikes in recent years to the vast experience gained by the government from previous strikes, which has allowed agencies to make appropriate preparations, including the deployment of vehicles that offer free rides.
For his part, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said the transport strike had “very little effect” to commuters.
He also stressed that there will be no immediate phase out of the traditional jeepneys.
The transport chief explained that consolidation of public utility vehicles (PUVs) operators is the first component of the PTMP.
