No strike, just miscommunication among drivers - bus operators

There was no transport “holiday," only miscommunication among drivers without cellphones who thought there was indeed a strike, bus operators said on Monday. At a press conference, operators said they should not be blamed for the inconvenience suffered by thousands of Metro Manila commuters who got stranded along EDSA due to lack of buses. They said the blame should be on the drivers who were late for work or who didn't go to work at all. “Kanina walang gustong magsalita mula sa hanay namin dahil wala kaming kasalanan. Ang kanilang mga driver, na-late ng pagpasok, ang alam ng iba ay may strike," said Claire dela Fuente, president of the Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association, in a report over GMA News’ “24 Oras." (Nobody from us wanted to speak earlier because we are not at fault. Some of the drivers were late for work because they thought there was a strike.) At least three thousand passengers were stranded early Monday, according to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), as they jostled for space in the few buses that plied the stretch of EDSA from Quezon City to Ortigas and Mandaluyong City. Reports also said many passengers were stranded at Kamuning and East Avenue in Quezon City.

No cellphones Dela Fuente likewise blamed the lack of cellular phones of bus drivers, which allegedly contributed to the miscommunication. "Karamihan ng driver ay walang cellphone, o kaya ang cellphone ay mahina ang baterya kaya pinapatay nila pagdating sa bahay. Pag matutulog, pinapatay," she said. (Most drivers don’t own cellphones. Those who do would turn their phones off at home to save the battery.) Government authorities, however, were incredulous to what appeared like a flimsy excuse of the operators, as they threatened the bus firms which participated in the “strike" with sanctions that include possible cancellation of franchise. Sanctions In the same TV report, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairperson Nelson Laluces said they would use the inconvenience suffered by the stranded passengers as basis for possible sanctions against the operators. "Our sanctions range from monetary penalty and the most severe sanction is cancellation of franchise. This all depends on the circumstances why we would consider them to have participated in the strike," Laluces said. Even MMDA chair Francis Tolentino did not seem convinced, as he described the transport strike a “disservice" to the commuting public. "Hindi yung number coding implementation ang naging problema. Ang naging problema rito ‘yung hindi bumiyahe, dinisregard ang kanilang certificate of public convenience, ‘yung kanilang prangkisa, to provide a disservice to our riding public," Tolentino said in the same report. (The problem here is not the number coding implementation, but the strike itself. The drivers and operators disregarded their certificates of public convenience, their franchises.) Number coding On Monday, the MMDA started implementing a number-coding scheme that bars buses from plying Metro Manila’s main roads depending on the last digit of their license plates. Buses with plate numbers ending in 1 and 2 were the first to be affected. Commuters were stranded on Monday when bus operators opposing the scheme reportedly staged a strike and refused to accommodate passengers. Of the over 12,000 buses traveling in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, only 2,000 should have been affected by the scheme, the MMDA said. Even as they belied reports of a strike, other operators said they are open to alternative schemes other than the number coding, which they said will deal a death blow to the bus transportation industry. "It is only now that we are able to express what we feel. All we ask is for us to be given a chance to participate in any decision making because we affect majority of the people. And we saw it this morning," said Ayette Groves, a Metro bus operator The number coding scheme will temporarily be suspended on Tuesday, a holiday. On Wednesday, however, it remains unclear if passengers will again have to endure hours of being stuck in EDSA, and shove their way into the few buses that will travel if the “holiday" continues. - KBK, GMANews.TV