Strike 'slightly felt' in Cubao; officials say traffic 'normal'
12/13/2007 | 09:13 AM
The transport strike staged by militant transport groups was "slightly" felt in Cubao in Quezon City and in eastern Metro Manila as some passenger jeeps stopped plying routes there.
Except for initial early reports of drivers "coercing" fellow drivers to join the strike, local executives and police noted no untoward incident as of 9 a.m.
However, traffic started to build up between Manila and Quezon City after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suspended the number-coding system for the day.
With the suspension of the number coding, private vehicles with license plates ending in 7 and 8 were allowed to pass key roads at peak hours of the day.
MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando said that the strike was 'hardly' felt as of early Thursday morning and advised students and employees to go about their normal routines.
In Makati City, mayor Jejomar Binay said the flow of public utility vehicles remained "normal" in his turf past 8 a.m.
Binay defended his decision to continue implementing the number coding in Makati City, saying his city accommodates hundreds of thousands of people doing transactions with the city every day.
"Araw-araw may trabaho tumataas ang population from 600,000 to almost 4 million daytime. Hundreds of thousands ang coming in and out of the central business district. Kaya kami bibihira kami nag-aangat ng number coding (Every working day, the city's population rises from 600,000 to up to four million. Hundreds of thousands come in and out of the central business district. That's why we rarely lift the number coding)," he said in an interview on dzBB.
Radio dzBB reported that some passengers rushing to get to Manila from Cubao, Quezon City had to hang on to jeep steps as several jeeps plying the Manila-Cubao routes "disappeared" after 8 a.m.
Members of militant transport groups gathered near markets in Cubao and tried to convince other drivers to join the strike, while police watched them from a distance.
Several jeeps plying the Cubao-Cogeo route stopped returning to the Cubao area after 8 a.m., but passengers rode jeeps plying slightly different routes, the report said.
Radio dzRH reported that in eastern Metro Manila, many jeeps stopped plying routes in Binangonan town and eastern Rizal after 8 a.m.
Drivers in the area said they plied their routes before dawn just so they can earn enough to buy food for the day.
In Manila, dzMM radio reported that some jeeps stopped plying routes passing Kalaw, Taft Avenue and Sta. Cruz district.
But dzBB radio reported that shipping firm Negros Navigation offered free rides on "shuttles" that picked up "stranded" passengers in Pier, Kalaw and Sta. Cruz at scheduled intervals.
In Monumento in northern Metro Manila, dzBB reported that police kept watch as members of militant groups held a program denouncing oil price hikes. - GMANews.TV
Except for initial early reports of drivers "coercing" fellow drivers to join the strike, local executives and police noted no untoward incident as of 9 a.m.
However, traffic started to build up between Manila and Quezon City after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suspended the number-coding system for the day.
With the suspension of the number coding, private vehicles with license plates ending in 7 and 8 were allowed to pass key roads at peak hours of the day.
MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando said that the strike was 'hardly' felt as of early Thursday morning and advised students and employees to go about their normal routines.
In Makati City, mayor Jejomar Binay said the flow of public utility vehicles remained "normal" in his turf past 8 a.m.
Binay defended his decision to continue implementing the number coding in Makati City, saying his city accommodates hundreds of thousands of people doing transactions with the city every day.
"Araw-araw may trabaho tumataas ang population from 600,000 to almost 4 million daytime. Hundreds of thousands ang coming in and out of the central business district. Kaya kami bibihira kami nag-aangat ng number coding (Every working day, the city's population rises from 600,000 to up to four million. Hundreds of thousands come in and out of the central business district. That's why we rarely lift the number coding)," he said in an interview on dzBB.
Radio dzBB reported that some passengers rushing to get to Manila from Cubao, Quezon City had to hang on to jeep steps as several jeeps plying the Manila-Cubao routes "disappeared" after 8 a.m.
Members of militant transport groups gathered near markets in Cubao and tried to convince other drivers to join the strike, while police watched them from a distance.
Several jeeps plying the Cubao-Cogeo route stopped returning to the Cubao area after 8 a.m., but passengers rode jeeps plying slightly different routes, the report said.
Radio dzRH reported that in eastern Metro Manila, many jeeps stopped plying routes in Binangonan town and eastern Rizal after 8 a.m.
Drivers in the area said they plied their routes before dawn just so they can earn enough to buy food for the day.
In Manila, dzMM radio reported that some jeeps stopped plying routes passing Kalaw, Taft Avenue and Sta. Cruz district.
But dzBB radio reported that shipping firm Negros Navigation offered free rides on "shuttles" that picked up "stranded" passengers in Pier, Kalaw and Sta. Cruz at scheduled intervals.
In Monumento in northern Metro Manila, dzBB reported that police kept watch as members of militant groups held a program denouncing oil price hikes. - GMANews.TV
