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Metro commuters stranded as bus firms stage 'holiday'


UPDATED 12: 15 p.m. - Commuters in and around Metro Manila were stranded as bus firms opposing the government's number-coding scheme pushed through with their "holiday" early on Monday. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) officials said they started receiving information about the effects of the strike, which some bus operators are calling a "holiday," before 6:00 a.m. on Monday. "There are some indications along the streets may tumitigil na bus. Nagdadagsaan ang messages sa amin," MMDA spokeswoman Tina Velasco said in a predawn interview on dzBB radio. (There are some indications buses have stopped accommodating passengers along the streets. We are getting messages about people becoming stranded.) She said the stranded passengers include those from San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, who were stranded at the boundary of Metro Manila. "Walang bus papunta ng Cubao (There were supposedly no buses heading for Cubao)," she said.
The MMDA was scheduled to start at 7:00 a.m. on Monday a number-coding scheme for provincial buses entering Metro Manila. Notice to bus operators Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is readying the filing of notices to bus operators who participated in Monday’s bus strike to protest against a number-coding scheme. The LTFRB said it is coordinating with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in determining the bus firms that joined the strike. “Padadalhan namin ng notice yan to explain, magkakaroon ng due process at hearing (We will send them notices to explain their action. They will be given due process and a hearing)," LTFRB Chairman Nelson Laluces said in an interview on dzBB radio. Last weekend, the MMDA warned bus operators who planned to take part in the strike that they may lose their franchises. On Monday, the MMDA started implementing a number-coding scheme where buses were barred from plying Metro Manila’s main roads depending on the last digit of their license plates. However, many commuters were stranded on Monday when bus operators opposing the scheme staged a strike, refusing to accommodate passengers. Laluces said his office is now coordinating with the MMDA in tracking down the bus operators. “Gagawin namin diyan, mino-monitor namin ang apparently nag-participate sa strike (We are monitoring those who are participating in the strike)," he said. Number-coding scheme The number-coding scheme, officially named the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP), is a traffic management program of the MMDA aimed to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic in Metro Manila. Vehicles whose plate numbers end in a particular number are barred from using the main streets of Metro Manila on particular days. Vehicles whose plate numbers end in 1 or 2, for instance, cannot travel through Metro Manila's main streets on Mondays. Last-ditch dialogue Velasco said they held a last-ditch dialogue with bus operators on Sunday night to "prevent untoward incidents" but the meeting was "open-ended." In the meantime, she said the MMDA will have to rely on the contingency plans with the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines. She said these include deploying the Armed Forces of the Philippines' 6 by 6 trucks and MMDA vehicles to ferry passengers to different points in Metro Manila. "There were dialogues yesterday but they were open-ended. We were not given an assurance," she said. Commuters jostling for bus ride In several parts of Metro Manila, dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported that passengers waiting for buses since 4:00 a.m. jostled for position when they saw a bus stop. Passengers would also jostle for position in boarding other public utility vehicles such as passenger jeeps and taxis. Some policemen even tried to flag down passenger buses but to no avail in most cases. Many passengers were stranded along the stretch of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) from Quezon City to Ortigas and Mandaluyong City. A separate report on dwIZ radio said many passengers were stranded at Kamuning and East Avenue in Quezon City. 'Give it a try' Velasco said some 13,168 buses go through Metro Manila, including 7,400 provincial buses entering the region. There are 3,800 city buses passing along EDSA. She said that with the number-coding scheme, the MMDA estimates a reduction of 2,000 buses a day. "Let's give this a try. Definitely di lang ito ang hihingan natin ng cooperation. This is part of a bigger transport plan we want to come up with (Let's give this a try. Definitely buses are not the only subject of transport plans. This is part of a bigger transport plan we want to come up with)," she said. – VVP, GMANews.TV
Tags: mmda, bus, strike
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