• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod City government provided vehicles to ferry stranded commuters amid the transport strike that started Aug. 14, even as the University of St. La Salle also offers bus service to its students and faculty until Aug. 16.
Earl Edward Ramirez, operations chief of the city Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said that they deployed three rescue vehicles for about 550 passengers stranded at Libertad, public plaza, and downtown Bacolod, from 6-10 p.m. Aug. 14.
“Additional transportation units from the city and the Bacolod City Police Office were deployed last night and this morning to assist stranded passengers affected by the ‘tigil pasada’ of some local transport groups,” the city Public Information Office posted Aug. 15.
The USLS, meanwhile, deployed buses for its students, teachers, and employees, with southbound and northbound routes, for Aug. 15 to 16.
“In response to the ongoing transport strike, Lasallians have been offered free bus service that started this afternoon (Aug. 15), for both northbound and southbound routes to assist students, faculty, and staff who are affected,” the USLS advisory states.
The University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, on the other hand, decided to shift to online classes, starting 5:30 p.m. Aug. 15 due to the ongoing transport strike, and for the safety of students.
“Tomorrow (Aug. 16), classes will be suspended starting 9 a.m. for a mass…and will resume at 1 p.m. (but) will be held online until the last period in the evening,” the advisory from the Office of the UNO-R president said.
The Kabacod Negros Transport Coalition and other groups conducted a strike, participated in by jeepney drivers and operators in Bacolod and neighboring areas starting Aug. 14, as part of their continuing opposition to the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program. | CGC
