Despite protests
Traffic experimentation to go on
Public utility jeepneys (PUJs) under the Metro Iloilo Development Council (MIDC) yesterday held a strike in protest of the traffic experimentation being implemented by the city government.
of PUJs from Oton, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara stopped operating early in the morning to protest the cutting of their routes which allegedly caused them economic hardship.
An official of a drivers association in Oton said that they seldom get passengers in their new route. "The drivers become hungry. Their earnings are just enough to pay for the rental and gasoline," the official said.
The 30-day traffic experimentation which started last October 1 limits the entry of PUJs from nearby municipalities to the city proper.
The affected drivers complained that the experimentation is unfair as the Perimeter Boundary Ordinance (PBO) is not implemented well.
City Mayor Jerry Treñas lamented the move of the drivers but he said they should bear with the inconvenience as this (traffic experimentation) is for everybody.
Treñas said officials of the different drivers organizations informed him of the planned strike last Sunday. He said it is their own prerogative but "we also have to pursue with our plans to address the traffic problem in the city."
Treñas noted that mayors of the affected towns where the PUJs originate have not intervened with the traffic experimentation being implemented by the city.