Transport Strike in Metro Manila

March 10, 2008

Metro police to give free rides to commuters Tuesday
03/10/2008 | 07:27 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office on Monday said hundreds of police vehicles will be deployed on Tuesday in the metropolis to mitigate the effects of the transport strike by transport groups.

NCRPO spokesman Rhodel Sermonia said the Quezon City Police District under Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula will be fielding at least 192 multi-cabs to provide transport to stranded passengers.

Sermonia said the NCRPO headquarters will deploy 12 trucks while the five police districts — including the QCPD — will provide additional six more trucks.

He said the Manila Police District will also provide 28 multi-cabs.

Sermonia said each of the NCRPO police districts would be placing at least 100 policemen ready to respond to any emergency.

NCRPO Chief Geary Barias has ordered the declaration of full alert status in the metropolis effective 6 p.m. Monday.

Earlier, the military’s National Capital Region Command (NCRcom) declared a red alert status in the metropolis. - Sun.Star

This is terrible news especially for commuters like me. I’m not sure if me and my mom will be going to the same office tomorrow so there’s a possibility that I would be commuting tomorrow and this news worry me a lot. I mean, I take so many kinds of public transport in a day (tricycle, jeepney, and bus - seriously!) and a transport strike of any kind would really give me one hell of a time. Moreso, I would be watching the concert of Earth, Wind & Fire tomorrow in Araneta Coliseum so that makes the problem double. If there will be a transport strike, the commuters will flock to the trains. Ugh. And reading that quoted news, I don’t know if I should laugh or be angered by it. I mean, c’mon .. 100+ police vehicles, 192 + 28 multicabs, 12 + 6 trucks, and 100 policemen .. am I the only one who thinks that that won’t even give a significant amount of help at all? Do they have any idea how many commuters go to the streets each day? Argh. I mean, I know these transport groups have their own valid reasons for staging such strikes, I just find it sad that the people who don’t contribute to those reasons are the ones being affected. And the ones that are supposedly affected, don’t feel anything AT ALL.

Wattalife.

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