PNP: Day 2 of strike peaceful so far; transport sector not paralyzed

The second day of the nationwide transport strike remained peaceful, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Tuesday.

“Base po sa ating coordination sa NCRPO ay peaceful pa naman po ito so far at hindi naman po naparalisa ‘yung ating transport sector,” PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said during a media briefing.

(Based on our coordination with the National Capital Regional Police Office, the strike has been peaceful so far and our transport sector has not been paralyzed.)

Fajardo said more than 100 mobile patrol units were deployed to help members of the public who faced difficulty in commuting. 

This was done in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). 

“Lalong-lalo na po doon sa mga area na talagang sakayan po ng ating mga kababayan at na monitor po natin na medyo scarce po ‘yung mga sasakyan. So nandoon po ‘yung concentration ng deployment ng mobility assets natin. Kasama po ‘yung sasakyan na prinovide ng MMDA at ng LTFRB po,” she said.

(Especially in locations where commuters usually get rides and locations where we monitored that there were fewer vehicles. So that’s where we concentrated on deploying our mobility assets.) 

The strike of the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) began on Monday and is initially set to end on Wednesday. 

However, transport group MANIBELA  today declared a nationwide strike from Wednesday to Friday.

“Naka ready po ‘yung PNP dahil doon po sa mga inter-agency meeting po ay kasama naman po ‘yung representative po ng PNP. At napag-alaman nga po natin na simula bukas hanggang 24. I understand po ay sasali rin po ‘yung isang grupo,” Fajardo said.

(The PNP is ready because our representative is a part of the inter-agency meetings. And we found out that the strike will continue until November 24. I understand that another group will join.)

However, Fajardo said that while they respect the right of the jeepney drivers to hold their strike, she hoped they would not pressure other drivers to join.

“Nirerespeto po natin ‘yung kanilang karapatan na magsagawa ng mga ganitong aktibidad. Pero sana respetuhin din po nila ‘yung mga karapatan din po nung iba nating mga tsuper na gusto mag pasada. Wala po sanang mang haras,” she said.

(We respect their right to conduct such activities. But I hope they also respect the rights of drivers who wish to ply their routes. I hope no one will be harassed.)

“At so far nag papasalamat po tayo sa grupo nila dahil kahapon ay wala naman po tayong na-monitor na nang harass at sana magtuloy-tuloy ito,” she added.

(And so far, we are thankful to their group because we did not monitor any kind of harassment. We hope this continues.) —RF, GMA Integrated News