BACOLOD CITY – Some jeepney drivers here took time off the streets as they joined the driver’s holiday amid the series of bigtime oil price hikes in the country.
Diego Malacad, secretary general of the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (Undoc), said the activity aimed to call on the government to address the current situation of drivers and operators.
Malacad said they wanted to show to the government that jeepney drivers here and in some parts of Negros Occidental are willing to look for other means to survive such as working as a construction or sugarcane worker.
“Ang krudo indi na gid ma agwanta (We can’t stand it (gas) anymore),” Malacad said, adding that they will continue to hold such activity until oil prices decrease or can be regulated by the government.
Malacad said the activity was led by the members of the Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition, adding that about 30 percent of them will not report to their operators to look for alternatives for their livelihood. He noted that operators could not oblige their drivers to report because of the holiday.
He said they consider the oil price hike as a calamity, as everyone is affected, adding that it is already alarming. Despite the oil price increases, Malacad said that fare hike is not a solution to the problem.
Malacad said they wanted the government to focus on the sentiments or concerns of the majority to address the problem. He believes that the government already knew their difficulties. Thus, it’s time to hear them out, he added.