Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo today called on local chief executives in the National Capital Region (NCR) to assist stranded commuters by providing them rides in going home amid the bus strike staged by bus operators this morning.
Robredo directed Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero to immediately coordinate with local governments of Metro Manila as a remedial measure to lessen the adverse effects caused by the strike on the people.
Panadero said coordination has already been undertaken with LGUs in the Metropolis like Las Piñas, Manila, Marikina, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Taguig and Valenzuela whose officials have assured support and will provide buses, adding that similar coordination has also been made with nearby provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.
The City of Manila pledged to provide 30 vehicles; Las Piñas, four mini-buses; Quezon City, three buses and a mini-cab; Valenzuela, eight buses; Marikina, two buses; Taguig and Mandaluyong, one bus each.
Robredo said the DILG will also deploy buses from the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC), to ferry commuters along strategic areas in Metro Manila who were stranded due to the bus holiday.
The deployment of the buses will be undertaken in coordination with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
At the same time, the DILG secretary also urged establishments and schools in the metropolis to provide transport services to their employees and students.
“We appeal to the concerned offices, establishments and schools to help find ways on how to ease out the problem caused by the bus strike,” Robredo said.
According to reports, over 3,000 or equivalent to about 70 percent of all bus took part in the strike in protest of the implementation of the number coding scheme for passenger buses.
Under the number coding scheme, buses that have license plates ending in 1 and 2 are banned to traverse EDSA on Mondays; 3 and 4 on Tuesdays; 5 and 6 on Wednesdays; 7 and 8 on Thursdays, and, 9 and 0 on Fridays.
The MMDA said around 13,000 provincial and city buses will be affected by the scheme, 1,000 of them on a daily basis. ###
