The week-long transport strike did not appear to have a significant impact on commuter mobility, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“In so far as the disruption naman po sa pampublikong transportasyon, masasabi ko rin po na minimal iyong effect dahil agad pong natutugunan ng Inter-Agency Task Force on Tigil-Pasada iyong pangangailangan po or kakulangan sa pampublikong transportasyon dahil po sa strike na ginawa,” MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes said on PTV program ”Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” on Thursday.
”Mayroon po tayong inihanda na nasa total na 686 na sasakyan para po tumugon nga sa mga pasahero na walang masakyan; at out of that number, wala pa po yatang isandaan iyong aming nai-dispatch. So masasabi ko po, with certainty and confidence, na napaghandaan po ito ng pamahalaan at maganda po iyong naging tugon natin para po ma-minimize iyong epekto po ng tigil-pasada,” he added.
To show their opposition to the government’s PUV modernization program, some jeepney operators and drivers affiliated with the transportation groups Manibela and Piston stopped operating on their routes beginning on Monday.
In particular, the groups oppose the December 31 deadline for jeepney drivers and operators to consolidate into cooperatives or corporations.
Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, however, said the consolidation requirement is ”non-negotiable.”
“We are ready to address all their demands. But one very important issue that we said is non-negotiable is the industry consolidation, because we really need the players to consolidate into a cooperative or a corporation,” Bautista said on Wednesday.
“We cannot grant their call to not consolidate. We see this as an important component of the PUVMP,” he added.
Piston finished their three-day transport strike on Wednesday, while Manibela’s was scheduled to end on Friday.
