Transport strike? Commuters barely noticed, officials say

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The transport strike organized by several cooperatives on Monday, March 23, did not disrupt public transportation in Iloilo City, as authorities reported ongoing jeepney services and no stranded passengers.

Atty. Ma. Joscet B. Abellar, chief transportation development officer of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Western Visayas, said many traditional jeepneys continued to operate on their routes, supported by units deployed by the city and provincial governments of Iloilo.

“Many traditional jeepneys continued to operate, and these were augmented by units deployed by the local governments, allowing all passengers to be accommodated. So far, we have not received any reports of commuters being stranded on the roads,” Abellar told the Daily Guardian.

She added that initial assessments showed transport cooperatives participating in the activity did not completely cease operations, as traditional units under their franchises continued to serve passengers.

“Based on our assessment, it is not a total stoppage of operation but rather a reduction of the number of units operating,” she said.

Abellar also noted that units from Vallacar Transit Inc., which had been granted a special permit by LTFRB-6 to operate certain routes during the strike, were not actually deployed.

The firm had been authorized to operate on the routes from Tagbak to City Proper, Ungka to City Proper via Central Philippine University and Diversion Road, and Mohon to City Proper.

Vallacar Transit, which operates under its Ceres Transport brand, is one of the largest bus operators in the Visayas and Mindanao and had been tapped as a backup transport provider in the event of widespread service disruptions.

The transport holiday was led by the Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations Inc., whose members operate key routes in the city and nearby towns.

The alliance said the protest aimed to press government agencies to immediately implement fare adjustments and extend financial assistance to the transport sector amid rising fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Diesel prices in the Philippines have risen for 11 consecutive weeks, with some stations now posting rates above PHP 110 per liter, prompting transport groups nationwide to stage strikes and protest actions.

Abellar also clarified that a show-cause order would be issued only if a cooperative is found to have completely stopped its services.

At this point, the agency cannot conclusively determine whether a violation occurred.

“It is new in our experience that not all units under the franchise cease operations. We cannot really say if they stopped. It is possible that because of the exigency of the times, they reduced the number of units,” she said.

She stressed that a thorough assessment is still needed to determine possible violations, noting that some cooperatives may have reduced units while increasing trip frequency or turnaround time.

WVATCCI Vice President Halley Alcarde described the transport holiday as successful in raising their concerns with the national government, even though it had minimal impact on commuters due to early preparations by local authorities.

Out of the 1,782 units awarded for Iloilo, WVATCCI estimated that around 400 modernized jeepneys and about 300 traditional units participated in the activity.

“We believe it was successful, but it did not significantly affect commuters because the city and provincial governments were able to prepare in advance to prevent the inconvenience for the commuters,” Alcarde said in a phone interview.

He added that some drivers and cooperatives decided to resume operations later in the day.

Alcarde said most modernized units in their alliance are not operational, but noted that franchises include both traditional and modern units, making it difficult to conclude that operations have completely stopped.

Face-to-face classes in Iloilo City on Monday were canceled due to the transport holiday.

Several government offices, including regional offices of the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, also shifted to reduced staffing or work-from-home arrangements.

The alliance has not yet decided on additional protest actions but reiterated its call for urgent government intervention.

“What we only want is to immediately raise our concerns to the national government […] We are hoping that the national government will fast-track solutions and have a decisive decision in addressing this situation,” Alcarde said.