ILOILO City – The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a toll on public utility jeepney drivers and operators in this southern city.
Yesterday, the City Loop Integrated Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (CLIAJODA) resolved to mount a transport holiday for one week, announced its president Rizal Alido.
Alido said the strike already began Friday with an estimated 100 jeepneys affiliated with CLIAJODA deciding to stay off the streets.
According to Alido, their decision to strike came after personnel of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) started apprehending drivers who supposedly violated the “one-seat-apart” policy (based on LTFRB Memorandum 2020-047) without informing the transport group prior.
Alido said it was agreed in a recent meeting that drivers should not be apprehended for the meantime. Instead, they will just be warned.
Apprehension of violators, according Alido, was supposed to start on Oct. 5 while waiting for the approval of their petition for a P15 provisional fare increase.
“We were surprised nga subong gapangdakop na sila. Damu na sila nadakpan and P5,000 more or less ang penalty,” said Alido in an interview over DYOK Aksyon Radyo.
Some 300 jeepney units under CLIAJODA are joining the week-long strike. Their routes are Villa Baybay, Villa Mohon, Bo. Obrero, Ungka-ITGSI via Diversion, Jaro Plaza-Mandurriao, and Jaro-Mandurriao Tabucan.
“Considering nga waay pa kami sang provisional fare increase, lugi gid kaayo sang aton mga drivers and operators. Maski tinapay daw indi na makabakal sa pamilya nila,” Alido lamented.
ICLAJODA NOT JOINING
The Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association (ICLAJODA), another city-based transport group, is not joining the transport holiday.
ICLAJODA president Raymund Parcon said they respect the decision of their fellow transport group. However, they support the government actions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“Ang ini nga problema ta subong, indi ni kawsa sang drivers nga makig-away kita sa LTFRB. Ang kawsa subong pandemya,” Parcon told Panay News.
Although it would drastically reduce the number of passengers in jeepneys, Parcon said they are supporting the one-seat-apart policy to stop the spread of COVID-19 transmission.
“We will make another appeal to the LTFRB-6 and LTO-6 to reconsider their decision to start apprehending one-seat-apart policy violators on Monday,” he added.
According to Parcon, LTFRB personnel only checked measurements of jeepney seats during its operation yesterday.
None of their members, he said, were apprehended for violating the rule but they were only warned.
ICLAJODA has more than 1, 000 units covering various routes in the city.
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
Regional directors Eric Tabaldo and Richard Osmeña of LTO and LTFRB, respectively, spearheaded yesterday’s information dissemination on the one-seat-apart policy for jeepney passengers as a form of physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
From Sept. 28 to Oct. 5, LTO and LTFRB personnel will set out to the streets to remind PUJs of their compliance, Tabaldo said.
But starting Oct. 6, the transport agencies will start apprehending violators, he added.
Osmeña, for his part, explained the penalties for non-compliant jeepney drivers.
“The LTO will fine a violator P1,078 while LTFRB, P6,000 for a total of P6,078. Medyo malaki ang penalty at alam natin na lugi sila so dapat sumunod sila,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña and Tabaldo said they want to help drivers and operators and that they are pushing for a minimum fare increase of P15.
“There’s no approval yet for the fare increase from the national office. We are waiting for the instruction. We want to help our drivers. There’s really a need to increase the fare,” Osmeña added.
It was in mid-March until June that most of public transportation was suspended due to lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help the public transport sector recover, the Department of Transportation pushed to reduce physical distancing among passengers in public utility vehicles.
But the proposal was met with opposition from Health secretary Francisco Duque III, Interior secretary Eduardo Año, medical experts and various local chief executives. On Sept. 19 President Rodrigo Duterte decided to retain one-meter physical distance rule in public transportation./PN
