90% of prov'l PUJs join strike -- Fijoda
Jeepney drivers and operators in the province of Iloilo stayed off their routes on Monday kicking off a three-day transport strike against a city ordinance regulating the entry of provincial jeepneys in the city and against the soaring price of petroleum products.
Proseso Parreño, president of the Federation of Iloilo Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations (Fijoda), said at least 90 percent of their members joined the strike paralyzing most of the routes between Iloilo City and the province's 41 towns and Passi City.
But police said the strike affected less than half of public transport in the province.
Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, said only around 21 towns reported being affected by the protest action as of 1:30 p.m. yesterday.
The strike had minimal impact on Iloilo City as jeepney drivers and operators' groups did not join the protest action.
Public transport remained normal in the city and offices, businesses and schools remained open but there was a visible decrease in commuters.
The protesting groups are opposing Iloilo City's Perimeter Boundary Ordinance (PBO) which provides for the implementation of a car-pass system, the shortening of routes of provincial jeepneys and the regulation against picking up passengers within the downtown area.
Parreño said the provisions of the PBO have resulted to a drastic drop in the income of jeepney drivers because of the stringent limit in the allowed routes and areas where they can pick up passengers.
He said they are also protesting the continued increase in oil prices.
City officials have refused to change the provisions of the ordinance because they said these will defeat the objective of the PBO to reduce the number of vehicles entering the city and reduce traffic and for city-based jeepneys to cater to passengers within city routes.
The drivers initially planned a one-week strike but local officials appealed to the group to at least shorten their protest citing its impact on the economy. Parreño said they are open to negotiations and will call off their strike if an agreement can be reached.
The provincial government deployed dump trucks to towns near the city's boundaries to ferry employees to the provincial capitol.
There were reports of complaints from drivers who did not join the strike that spikes were placed in roads in southern Iloilo allegedly by protesting groups.