By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia assured yesterday the planned transport strike will not impact the opening of classes on Monday, June 5.
“Maybe to a certain extent the transport strike can cause some inconveniences for the riding public, but not to the degree that it would be necessary to suspend classes,” he stated.
The determination was made on Friday, after the mayor met with officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), and the Department of Education (DepEd) at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).
Leonardia said suspending classes would be “impractical” on the part of the students as they would miss the first two days of school.
He reiterated, the city has ordered the deployment of two city tourist buses and 10 IPM-Construction and Development Corporation (IPM-CDC) trucks to Barangays Handumanan, Sum-ag, Bata, Estefania, Granada, Alangilan, and Mansilingan on Monday and Tuesday, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., to pick up passengers and drop them off near their schools or workplaces.
Leonardia also ordered the BCPO to ensure peace and order and to maximize police visibility in order to prevent any unwanted eventuality.
For LTFRB-Region VI legal officer Ma. Joscet Buyco-Abellar and LTO-Bacolod chief Renato Novero, if necessary, they can provide buses for large volumes of stranded commuters.
The city government has also set up a command center at the BCGC to answer and respond to traffic concerns, which can be reached at 707-0000 or 435-0055./WDJ