Several transport groups in Bacolod City are planning to hold a five-day transport strike this month as part of their ongoing campaign to secure franchise renewals and protect the livelihood of traditional jeepney operators and drivers.
This announcement follows a successful one-day nationwide rally and transport strike held last Thursday, June 5, where more than 800 traditional public utility jeepney (PUJ) units in Bacolod joined the cause.
The transport groups are calling for government approval to renew their franchises, and grant provisional authority to unconsolidated PUJs, enabling them to operate legally and sustain their means of living, especially with the opening of classes on June 16.
In a radio interview, Rudy Catedral, president of the Bacolod Alliance for Commuters, Operators and Drivers Inc. (BACOD), emphasized that the transport strike is only the “initial movement” in their continuing efforts to safeguard the welfare of small-scale operators and financially challenged drivers.
Catedral described the June 5 strike and protest rally as a significant success.
The event was held in collaboration with the United Negros Drivers Operators and Cooperatives-Piston and the Kabacod Negros Transport Coalition.
According to the transport groups, commuters will feel the impact of the strike, highlighting the insufficient presence of modern jeepneys in the city to meet daily transportation needs.
They also apologized to commuters for the inconvenience caused by the shortage of jeepney rides during the strike, expressing hope for understanding as they fight for their rights and livelihood.
Unconsolidated PUJ operators and drivers, who currently do not have provisional authority to operate, currently face possible regulation by the Land Transportation Office.
A total of 1,266 traditional PUJ units in the city have been consolidated, alongside 605 modern units, based on the Bacolod City government’s Comprehensive Public Transport Modernization Plan.
However, around 1,200 units are still needed to adequately ply 24 designated routes.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, who was in Bacolod last April to assist the city government in executing its local transport plan, said the Public Transport Modernization Program is under a comprehensive review amid problems besetting its implementation, particularly the difficulties faced by drivers and operators in transitioning from traditional to modernized jeepneys due to financial challenges.
“We came here to see it for ourselves, and we clearly see that Bacolod can be a model for vehicle modernization. To support this, the Department of Transportation has committed to providing everything needed to show that this modernization program can truly work if the right ingredients are in place,” Dizon said. / With reports from PNA / JB, WDJ