The transport strike led by Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers Para sa Karapatan sa Paggawa (Manibela) only had minimal impact and failed to paralyze public transportation in Metro Manila and its environs, the government said on Monday.
In a report submitted to Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said only a handful of protesters participated during the protest.
“Based on the nationwide monitoring of the transport strike/rally staged by MANIBELA, it did not, in any way, disrupt public transportation services in the country,” the report read.
The agency said stranded commuters were provided with Libreng Sakay or free rides by their respective city governments as well as by mobility assets deployed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Bautista said Manibela’s failed protest was due to the Magnificent 7, which has a larger membership, skipping the strike.
He said Manibela’s claim of crippling 600 routes in Luzon and 150 public utility jeepney (PUJ) affecting these routes was not evident on Monday’s protests with only 19 PUJs joining the rally.
“Manibela’s mobilization of a small number of protesters during Monday’s protest and the Magnificent 7 ignoring the protest was a clear sign that the strike was a complete failure. This group only wants to create noise and panic with some schools suspending classes with this failed threat,” Bautista said.
The Magnificent 7 is composed of transport groups Pasang Masda, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Altodap), Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide (Piston), Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization, Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap), Stop and Go, and Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators ng Pilipinas.
Bautista assured the commuting public the operations and routes of PUVs are not affected and remain in normal condition, and that additional PUVs have been mobilized to ensure the uninterrupted flow of public transportation in all areas.
The agency likewise coordinated with concerned national government agencies and LGUs to mitigate the possibility of public transport disruption, including the deployment of additional PUVs and provision of free rides.
According to the LTFRB, public transportation operations in provinces were normal as well with no stranded passengers reported. Roads were passable and other PUV routes unaffected.
The transport strike held in other parts of the country also failed to disrupt the flow of public transport as government agencies and local government units (LGUs) deployed mobility assets and offered free rides to affected passengers.
