‘Libreng Sakay’ cushions impact of Manibela-led transport strike

By Joel E. Zurbano

BUS and jeepney drivers and operators launched their three-day transport strike a few hours before the second State of the Nation Address by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., but offers of free rides cushioned the impact of the protest action. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it would deploy 17 vehicles to help convey passengers affected by the ongoing transport strike.

The strikers, mostly members of the Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers (Manibela), kicked off their protest action with a motorcade rally at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, brandishing banners that read, “No to PUV phaseout”.

The projected Monday-to-Wednesday transport strike was meant to express their grievances regarding the government’s planned phaseout of traditional jeepneys and utility vehicle (UV) Express, to be replaced by vehicles with environment-friendly fuels. let us pass a Magna Carta that will serve like a safe harbor that will protect them,” Zubiri said.

The drivers and operators claimed that the high costs of the modernization program will definitely become a burden to commuters.

Other participants in the protest action came from Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon regions.

But according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, traffic in all major thoroughfares in the National Capital Region remained normal as of 12 noon.

The MMDA’s Metrobase monitors through closed circuit television (CCTVs) cameras major roads in Metro Manila that will be affected by the transport strike for quick dispatching of “Libreng Sakay” vehicles.

MMDA chairman Romando Artes said MMDA traffic enforcers with the assistance from the local police were also managing the traffic flow and crowd control where the transport groups were holding protest.

“To people looking for jobs, let the National Employment Action Plan be the guide towards gainful employment in which fair work is rewarded with fair pay,” he added.

“To those who toil in starvation wages, let us put ourselves in their shoes, provide relief to their families, and pass the long-awaited across-theboard legislative wage hike.”

He also proposed an end to bureaucratic red tape for the benefit of citizens to which the internet is a boon.

Like an app, E-Governance Act is in need of an update, the Senate leader noted.

“To consumers who source goods online, let us firewall them against scams which the Internet Transactions Act will put up. Let us debug this commerce platform of its budol virus,” he stressed.

“To a country whose sovereignty has been disrespected, we will pass a bill that will modernize our defenses,” Zubiri said.

According to him, there are still many laws that the Senate needs to debate on and need to pass.

“And how do we measure the value of our labors, and the common good of our policies that we have created?” he asked.