Manibela President Mar Valbuena (Photo courtesy of Manibela Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines鈥擬any commuters still found it hard to travel despite work-from-home setups and class suspensions amid the transport strike on Monday, transport group Manibela said.
On its Facebook page, Manibela showed the situation at Metro Manila jeep and bus stops. Commuters were stranded after several jeepney drivers refused to make trips in protest of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board鈥檚 (LTFRB) alleged falsification of the data of the Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).
Manibela also accused LTFRB of lying about providing free rides, as many commuters were without public transport.
鈥淣ag-sinungaling na kayo sa consolidation, pati sa Libreng Sakay mga sinungaling pa rin kayo,鈥� Manibela鈥檚 post reads.聽 鈥淲alang pasok tapos may pronouncement ng libreng sakay pero stranded pa rin mga pasahero.鈥�
(You lied about the consolidation, and now you are lying about the free rides. There are class and work suspensions, with the pronouncement of free rides, but passengers are still stranded.)
鈥淲ork-from-home, online classes, mga walang pasok pero madami pa [rin] ang stranded,鈥� it added.聽 鈥淐ommonwealth Avenue as of 8:30am. Wala pa [rin] masakyan at higit sa lahat walang libreng sakay.鈥�
(Work-from-home and online classes were implemented, and many did not go to work but many were still stranded. Commonwealth Avenue as of 8:30 a.m., commuters can鈥檛 find public transportation modes and the government鈥檚 free rides were unavailable.)
READ: Suspension of face-to-face classes due to March 24 transport strike
Manibela also disputed the government鈥檚 assurance that it is ready for the strikes, noting that some commuters just opted to return home as they cannot get free rides to their schools or workplaces.
鈥淎nong nire-ready ready nyo dyan?聽 Stranded na mga pasahero, nagsi-uwian na kasi kagigising lang ng gobyerno,鈥� the group said.
(What are you even preparing for? The passengers are already stranded, some have even gone home because the government just woke up.)
Earlier, LTFRB spokesperson Ariel Inton said the transport situation in Metro Manila remains normal despite the ongoing strike, with most jeepney drivers opting to make trips.
READ: Metro Manila public transport 鈥榥ormal鈥� despite jeepney strike鈥擫TFRB
Malaca帽ang also said the government would deploy additional buses and trains to help passengers affected by the strike.
In a Viber message to reporters, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said additional buses and trains would be deployed to the Edsa busway and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2, respectively.
Last March 19, Manibela President Mar Valbuena said the LTFRB had been telling them lies about the PTMP.
Valbuena said they would also push for the resignation of LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III, as he claimed that 86 percent of the country鈥檚 passenger vehicles already consolidated to form cooperatives or corporations in accordance with the PTMP.
According to Valbuena, no less than newly appointed Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon admitted that the 86 percent included drivers and operators鈥� groups whose consolidation applications have not been approved.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because of their false data that we are suffering today, not just drivers and operators, but more so our commuters,鈥� he added.