MANILA, Philippines – Government agencies downplayed the impact of the nationwide transport strike held by some jeepney drivers on Monday, March 6, noting that only around 5% of the drivers participated.
Officials went on to note that local government units had provided transportation for stranded commuters, and that the nationwide protests failed to paralyze public transport.
It seems that officials missed the point of the mass movement.
In this report by Rappler’s Lance Yu, drivers who did not participate in the strike were also not in favor of the contentious modernization program. They simply cannot afford a P2.8-million electric vehicle.
“Ang amin pong presidente [ng aming asosasyon] ay tinawagan ng LGU (local government unit), at nakisama lang po kami dahil kawawa rin naman po ang ating mga mananakay,” a driver said.
(Our association’s president got a call from the LGU, and we just cooperated because the commuters would suffer.)
Even at the most difficult times, the drivers still had the welfare of the everyday commuter in mind. – Rappler.com
How does this make you feel?
