Pampanga

Kapampangan drivers group pulls out of strike as Angeles City offers commuters free rides

Joann Manabat

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Kapampangan drivers group pulls out of strike as Angeles City offers commuters free rides

TRANSPORT STRIKE. The Angeles City information office estimates that around 80,000 residents in the highly-urbanized city will be affected by the planned national transport strike from March 6 to 10.

Angeles City Information Office

Angeles City has ten buses to provide free rides for 80,000 commuters during the planned March 6 to 10 transport strike

MABALACAT, Philippines – Pampanga-based members of the Federation of Jeepney Drivers at Operators (FEDJODA) on Thursday, March 2 announced that they would join their organization in pulling out of the planned national transport strike from March 6 to 10.

San Fernando City Mayor Vilma Caluag thanked the 52 FEDJODA members in the city. In a statement, she said the local government would still deploy two trucks to help commuters left stranded by the strike.

The announcement by FEDJODA president Albert Garcia followed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board’s deferment of the deadline for the phaseout of old public utility jeepneys and the consolidation of modern versions from June 30 to December 31, 2023.

ON STANDBY. The City of San Fernando in Pampanga will deploy two rescue trucks to ferry stranded commuters during the transport strike from March 6 to 10, although 52 members of a drivers’ group have already pulled out of the planned mass action. (San Fernando city information office)

In highly-urbanized Angeles City, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said the local government will deploy 10 Philippine Rabbit buses to provide free rides during the week-long protest.

In a statement on Wednesday, March 1, Lazatin also suspended face to face classes in all levels, and in  both public and private schools, during the strike. But he encouraged schools to conduct modular or online classes to avoid disruption in the academic calendar.

The free rides in Angeles City will begin on March 6 from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight daily until March 10. These will involve five routes of the buses along Cutud-Sapang Maisac boundary; Balibago-Dau boundary; Cutcut-Porac boundary; Sto. Domingo-San Fernando boundary; and Mining-Malino boundary.

Modular class woes

The announcement of the national strike fueled concerns among commuters and even some drivers.

Senior high school students Steven San Diego and Thea Cruz of Angeles City Science High School worried about their temporary return to modular classes.

The two students, who commute to school everyday, told Rapppler on March 1 that they see the strike as an “unwanted distraction” that would take them back to the difficult days of remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is no available data on the number of passengers and commuters in Angeles but the city information office gave a rough estimate of 80,000 commuters daily.

San Diego commutes to Angeles Science High from Mabalacat and Cruz commutes from San Fernando. Both take three jeepneys daily to get from home to school, and the same number of rides when classes end for the day.

FREE BUS RIDE. Angeles City, which has provided free bus rides to its frontliners during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown period, offers free rides for residents during the planned March 6 to 10 transport strike. Angeles City Information Office

“Very distracting, kasi sa bahay tapos modular ulit. Di nga naging effective masyado sakin ung way ng learning na yun. Iba kapag in person ung sa studies namin,” Cruz told Rappler on March 1. (It’s very distracting to attend modular classes at home. It’s not an effective way of learning for me, much different from in-person studies.)

“We have Google and everything to accomplish (assignments) but we really have a hard time understanding. One week is a long time to waste because after that we will still be catching up with physical activities and school work,” Cruz added in a mix of English and Filipino.

San Diego said the sudden announcement made it difficult for schools to prepare. 

“Para sakin may iba naman paraan para ma basura ang pagka-phase out ng mga jeep,” he added. (For me, there are other ways to work for the junking of the jeep phaseout.)

The highly urbanized city has 3,500 jeepneys plying inner routes, 4,500 jeepneys that transport residents to other towns, and 8,000 tricycles. Each jeepney has a maximum capacity of between 20 to 22 passengers.

Point of view flaw

The strike was called to protest the planned phaseout of old jeepneys and consolidation of modern versions.

LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said the deferment was not due to the strike threat, claiming that 90% of transport groups support the LTFRB’s program.

Mar Valbuena, national president of Manibela, on Thursday, March 2 said the strike would push through despite the government’s concession. 

It is not yet clear if other Pampanga transport groups will still support the strike.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT. One of the 4,500 jeepneys that transport Angeles City residents to other towns in Pampanga like Mabalacat. The city has another 3,500 jeepneys plying interior routes. Joann Manabat

Ira Cruz of AltMobility PH said commuters are often caught in the middle of conflicts between the government and transport groups. But he also told Rappler that government officials use “divide and rule tactics” to pit commuters against drivers and operators.

“The truth is, commuters’ concerns are ignored by the government, from the routes they are forced to take, to the price of transportation,” Cruz pointed out.

“When the government makes plans, including this phaseout, which has gone through five attempts, officials view the problem from the standpoint of car-owners, when mass transportation should largely about the interests of transport workers and firms and the commuters,” he added.

Financial woes

Mang Jun, a 52-year-old jeepney driver, told Rappler on Wednesday, that he supports the call to suspend the mandatory consolidation of franchises but does not want to join the one-week strike due to his family’s financial needs. 

“Baka sumali ako (sa strike). Pero hindi ko pa alam talaga. Nationwide kasi yan eh. Depende siguro. Ang taas na nga ng bilihin, tapos ganyan pa,” he said in frustration. (I might join the stroke but I am not yet sure. That’s nationwide. It depends. Prices of commodities are so high and then we have this.)

Marco, 37, a call center agent who lives in neighboring Mabalacat City, said it would be his first time to try the free ride by the city government. 

He said if the transport strike will carry on, he might just get a Grab car or hail a Blue Taxi.

“Wala, talagang ganyan. Wala naman shuttle service ang company para sa mga agents na nagco-commute. Ang mahal lang ng taxi mas lalo na ang Grab. Kaso wala, no choice eh. Bahala na,” said Marco. – Rappler.com

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