- CHERYL G. CRUZ
About 17 patrol cars, strategically stationed in areas covering the 10 police stations in Bacolod City, will offer free rides to commuters, who might be affected by any transport strike coinciding with the 2nd State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today, July 24.
This as Bacolod City Administrator, Atty. Pacifico Maghari III, assured that, “so far, no specific transport group is joining the strike on Monday”.
He said that most of the transport leaders told the city that they will not participate in the three-day strike organized by Manila-based transport group Manibela, or Malayang Alyansa ng Bus Employees at Laborers, in line with its opposition to the consolidation provision in the PUV Modernization Program, with the latest deadline set on Dec. 31 this year.
Maghari said the local transport groups will not join the strike “in gratitude sa efforts ni mayor (Albee Benitez) of helping them out” with regard the issuance of provisional authority (PA) to ply the streets of Bacolod until Dec. 31.
The city administrator recently said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas issued about 1,300 PA to traditional jeepneys in Bacolod.
He said the number is sufficient to meet the public transport needs of Bacolodnons, aside from the more than 500 air-conditioned jeepneys now operating in the highly-urbanized city under the PUVMP and the Local Public Transport Route Plan.
The city said in a press release that the “Oplan Libreng Sakay” is a joint effort of the local government and the Bacolod City Police Office “to ease the burden on commuters, who may face difficulties in reaching their destinations today.”/CGC
