Strike paralyzes public transportation in Iloilo, Aklan provinces
Public transport nearly ground to a halt in the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo as major transport groups joined the nationally coordinated transport strike to demand the removal of taxes on oil products and for the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law.
At least 90 percent of public transport in Aklan including the capital town of Kalibo was paralyzed, according to Dan Magallanes, president of the Federation of Kalibo Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations.
Another major transport group in the province, the Federation of Aklan Public Transport Inc., which includes jeepneys plying routes between Kalibo and the provinces' 16 other towns also joined the strike.
The strike in Aklan will be two days and will end at midnight Wednesday.
The strike also paralyzed 95 percent of public transport in the province of Iloilo as around 25 associations under the Federation of Iloilo Jeepney Owners and Drivers Associations, which ply routes between the city and interior towns, stayed off the streets.
The strike was also joined by most transport groups in Iloilo City despite the announcement of some groups that they will not join the strike.
Senior Supt. Wesley Barayuga, Iloilo City police chief, said only 40 percent of public utility vehicles stayed off the streets but the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nation (Piston) said around 90 percent joined the strike in the city.
Piston-Panay coordinator Edgar Salarda said less than 400 jeepney units from the total 3,600 units that regularly ply the city routes were seen in the streets.
Militant groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in Panay supported the strike by setting up protest centers in major intersections in the city and called on drivers who did not join the strike to support the protest.
Salarda said the strike received spontaneous support including transport groups in northern Antique who joined the protest.
"This outpouring of support shows how the public, not only the transport sector, are reeling from the spiraling prices of rice, oil products and other basic commodities," said Salarda in an interview.
"We hope this will make the government grant our demands to scrap the expanded value added tax on petroleum products and to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law to lower the oil prices," said Salarda.
Government offices and most businesses remained open but the number of people going to these establishments was visibly reduced.
The strike in Iloilo ended at midnight today but transport groups in Capiz province will hold their one-day strike today.
Joel Perion, Piston-Capiz coordinator and president of the Alliance of Roxas City Tricyle Operators and Drivers Associations, said in a telephone interview that the strike will be spearheaded by the Hugpong Transport Capiz and Roxas City.
Perion said aside from tricycle federations in Roxas City, today's strike will be joined operators and drivers of L300 vans, small buses and jeepneys plying between Roxas City and the two congressional districts of the province.