More than 8,000 policemen will be deployed in Metro Manila to secure various areas where protesting transport operators and drivers are expected to converge for the three-day transport strike starting Monday, March 24.
Police Maj. Hazel Asilo, spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said the 8,000 policemen will include almost 2,500 personnel from the Civil Disturbance and Management (CDM).
“There will also be vehicles that will be on standby for free rides in case there would be stranded commuters,” said Asilo.
Transport group Manibela had earlier announced that it will hold a three-day strike in protest of the alleged dishonesty of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulator Board (LTFRB) and other officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
Manibela president Mar Valbuena said that the declaration of the LTFRB and other DOTr officials under then secretary Jaime Bautista became the basis for President Marcos to pursue the modernization plan.
As a result, he said a number of jeepney drivers and operators became the subject of aggressive operations with penalties ranging from P2,000 to P50,000.
In a press briefing, Valbuena said the LTFRB declared that there were 86 percent operators that consolidated into either a corporation or cooperative but it turned out that only half of them complied with the consolidation.
The consolidation is the first phase of the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization and currently, the program is now on the second phase which is the route rationalization. Eventually, the PUV modernization program will phase out the traditional jeepneys.
The alleged dishonesty of the LTFRB is the reason why Manibela will be holding a transport strike, Vabuena said.
Class suspensions
Several universities in Metro Manila have announced changes to modes of learning on Monday, March 24, in response to the transport strike organized by transport group Manibela.
Affected schools have opted for online learning as a precautionary measure due to anticipated disruptions in public transportation. Below are the announcements made by various institutions:
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines: Classes across all National Capital Region campuses, including the College of Law, will shift to synchronous online mode on March 24. University offices will remain open for transactions.
- Adamson University: Classes will be held online synchronously for all levels on March 24. However, the campus will remain open for students and faculty who wish to use facilities for online classes. University offices will also operate for onsite transactions.
- Philippine Normal University: Face-to-face classes will shift to synchronous online learning on March 24. All university offices will continue to operate as usual.
- Colegio de San Juan de Letran: All classes will move to synchronous online mode on March 24, with offices operating with a skeletal workforce.
- University of the East: Classes will be conducted online synchronously from March 25 to 26, with March 24 being an asynchronous offsite day under the Unified Flexible UE Learning (FUEL) system.
- De La Salle University: Senior high school, undergraduate, and graduate classes at both the Manila and Laguna campuses will be held online from March 24 to 26. Work at both campuses will shift to a work-from-home setup, except for essential personnel.
- Far Eastern University: Online classes will be held for all levels on March 24. Office services and library access will be available.
- Mapua University: Senior high school classes at both the Intramuros and Makati campuses will switch to synchronous online mode on March 24. Summer term enrollment for undergraduate students will continue fully online. Admissions, Treasury, and Registrar’s Offices will be available for in-person transactions with a skeletal workforce.
- University of Santo Tomas: UST will implement its "Enriched Virtual Mode of Instruction" on March 24, with remote work arrangements in place for staff.
- Trinity University of Asia: Classes will shift to online synchronous mode on March 24 unless a suspension is declared by Malacañang or the Quezon City government, in which case classes will be held asynchronously online.
- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila: All classes will be held online on March 24, except for those engaged in clerkships, internships, RLE, OJT, and thesis defenses, which will proceed as scheduled. University offices will remain open.
- Cavite State University
- University of Perpetual Help System in Laguna
- Public and private schools, all levels, in Malolos, Bulacan
The strike, which is set to last from March 24 to 26, is a protest against the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program and its allegedly inaccurate consolidation figures.
Contingency measures
Government agencies have already mapped out contingency plans to cushion the effects of the transport strike.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it has already prepositioned several vehicles that will be utilized for free rides in coordination with the local government units in Metro Manila.
MMDA chairperson Don Artes said they will be monitoring the transport strike through its command center that is connected to various CCTV cameras installed in several areas in the metropolis, starting Monday morning.
DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon is expected to join the monitoring with Artes.
Dizon had earlier said that they have already started preparing for contingencies to ensure that commuters will not be affected by the strike.
“The DOTr is closely working with the MMDA and our LGUs to provide free rides to address any inconveniences that our commuters may experience during this activity,” said Dizon.
Artes, on the other hand said, the deployment of vehicles will be on “as needed” basis since there will still be a number of jeepney drivers who will not join the strike and uncontrolled deployment of vehicles for free rides will affect their earnings.
Five transport groups not joining
At least five major transport groups will not join Manibela’s transport strike, according to Pasang Masda president Obet Martin.
Martin said their position is that a transport strike is not a solution in addressing the problems hounding the PUV sector as this only affects the commuters, adding that they would prefer dialogues with concerned authorities.
On Monday, March 24, Pasang Masda and transport groups Altodap, ACTO, Busina and Curoda are expected to hold a protest action in front of the LTFRB Central Office in Quezon City.
But instead of calling for the stop of PUV Modernization, Martin said they will be calling on the government to continue the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) since hundreds of their members have already complied with it.
Libreng sakay
The QCity Bus service will provide free service for commuters affected by the nationwide transport strike of Manibela from Monday, March 24 to Wednesday, March 26, covering the following routes:
- QC Hall to Cubao
- QC Hall to Litex / IBP Road
- Welcome Rotonda to Aurora Katipunan
- QC Hall to General Luis Ave.
- QC Hall to Mindanao Ave. via Visayas Ave.
- QC Hall to Gilmore Ave.
- QC Hall to C5 / Ortigas Ave. Ext.
- QC Hall to Muñoz
Officers from the Traffic and Transport Management Department (TTMD) will also be deployed to assist motorists and commuters. (With reports from Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz and Allysa Nievera)