By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
A former cadre of the New People’s Army (NPA) criticized various transport groups who will join the transport strike in Bacolod City today and called for the arrest of the strike organizers.
According to Jeffrey Celis, the protest action and the transport strike by local transport groups is a form of “economic sabotage” and is an inconvenience to the commuting public.
Celis said the leaders of the strike should be arrested, accusing them of also being connected with the leftist groups which have alleged connections with the NPA.
He also said the jeepney operators who will participate in the transport strike are violating the franchise contract issued to them by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office should immediately cancel their licenses as well as their franchises, he added.
Responding to the accusations, BAYAN-Negros spokesperson Noli Rosales reminded Celis that under the Philippine Constitution, they have the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.
Rosales pointed out their planned strike is a legitimate form of action as the jeepney drivers and operators are the aggrieved parties of the jeepney modernization scheme and thus, the strike will push through.
He also said Celis’ calls for the arrest of the strike organizers have no grounds, adding that his demands are a “greater form of sabotage” amid a crisis threatening their livelihood.
Today’s transport strike will be led by the Bacolod Alliance Commuters, Operators and Drivers; the United Negros Drivers and Operators Center; and the Negros Bacolod Transport Coalition.
Other local transport groups, the Sentrong Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators-Negros and the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association announced that they will not join the strike.
The protest stems from the implementation of City Ordinance No. 966, or the Local Public Transport Route Plan which Rosales claims will significantly affect the drivers and operators of the traditional jeepneys, tricycles and trisikads./DGB, WDJ