THE National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) assured commutters that they will be providing security as well as dispatch vehicles as free rides in Metro Manila to augment for the transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston).
The said transport strike will start on Monday until May 1.
They are protesting the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) and the approaching April 30 deadline for the consolidation of jeepney franchises.
NCRPO chief information officer Lt. Col. Eunice Salas told media that they will be deploying all their available vehicles.
This is to be able to assist the commuters who may be stranded by the transport strike, especially during the rush hours on Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30.
“We have 90 available vehicles that will be placed on standby to provide free rides to our kababayan who would be affected by the transport strike,” Salas said.
Likewise, NCRPO director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr, noted that they will deploy 7,957 cops ensuring public safety.
“We are ready to ensure the safety of the public during the transport strike from April 29 to May 1. We also placed our men under full alert status as part of our contingency plan for the transport strike” said Nartatez.
Metro Manila is slated to be a focal point for the protest, with key areas including Alabang, Baclaran, Sucat, Taft Avenue, Agoncillo, Monumento, Novaliches, Litex, Anonas, Katipunan, and Philcoa.
The transport strike is also in time for the Labor Day celebration on May 1.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the April 30 deadline for the franchise consolidation under the PUVMP would no longer be extended.
Marcos assured that the program will not be a burden to the drivers and operators because of the government subsidy for modern PUVs.
