Transport strikes have lost sting— MMDA
The national government has already reached a stage where it could no longer be held hostage by defiant groups through threats and holding of transport strikes.
Photograph Courtesy of MMDA
Daily TribuneThe national government has already reached a stage where it could no longer be held hostage by defiant groups through threats and holding of transport strikes.
Photograph Courtesy of MMDA
Chairman Atty. Armando Artes of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority yesterday said calls for transport strikes have been losing ground because the government has made headway in solving the problem.
The MMDA chief said the national government has already reached a stage where it could no longer be held hostage by defiant groups through threats and holding of transport strikes.
This was the explanation of Artes as the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide held a transport strike anew that started on Thursday, 14 December and is expected to end on Friday, 15 December.
Artes attributed the minimal effects of transport strikes in the past few years to the vast experience that government agencies gained in the preparations and responses to past protest actions aimed at paralyzing public transportation.
He said the government has already reached the point that transport groups can no longer hold the government and the public hostage because we can address the needs of the riding public.
Transport strike in the past had been successful in paralyzing public transportation in Metro Manila and other urban areas across the country, which would sometimes result in the declaration of class suspension.
But in the past few years, the MMDA noted minimal effects and attributed it to the strategic planning to cushion the impact, including the deployment of vehicles for libreng sakay or free rides.
Artes, in analyzing the situation, said jeepney operators and drivers themselves have already realized that they are always at the losing end of the transport strike since they are the ones who would lose income.