The Negros Occidental provincial government and the Bacolod city government have deployed shuttle services for their respective employees affected by the two-day transport starting Monday.
Provincial administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Capitol Cab vehicles and buses are transporting workers who have no means of travel to their places of work.
“The buses pick them up at a certain time and bring them to the workplace on or before 8 a.m. and after work, a reverse procedure will follow,” he added.
Diaz said 25 to 30 vehicles under the Capitol Cab are available for deployment.
Capitol Cab is a ride-hailing service with a digital booking application that handles the travel demands of provincial government employees on official business.
Diaz also requested the department heads to use their respective vehicles and to submit a list of those availing carpool service to the Provincial Human Resource Management Office.
Designated routes and pick-up/drop-off points for those boarding the capitol buses are located in Murcia town as well as cities of Bago and Talisay, and Barangay Granada and Paglaum Village here.
In this capital city, the “Libre Sakay” program is available for Bacolodnons until Tuesday.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said it is business as usual on the part of the city government to ensure that services to its constituents are not disrupted.
“The local government is offering free rides to government employees and the general public that may be stranded due to the transport strike,” he added.
Leonardia said the city government commiserates with the transport groups’ sentiments and disappointments as he appealed for sobriety during the transport strike.
City administrator Edward Joseph Cuansing said the city government has allocated nine service vehicles, including buses, van and rescue trucks, to ply seven point-to-point routes.
From the designated pick-up points, where the vehicles took off as early as 4 a.m., passengers are transported to a common drop-off point at the Bacolod public plaza.
The so-called “people’s holiday”, organized by the Solidarity of Transport and Alliance of Negros for Democracy with Urban Poor or Stand UP, started at 3 a.m. on Monday and will end at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Through the protest action, they aim to voice their concerns to the national government amid the series of increases in the prices of basic goods and petroleum.
Stand UP is comprised of the Negros Consumers Watch, Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association, Sentrong Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Negros, and United Negros Drivers and Operators Center.
Vallacar Transit Inc., the operator of Ceres buses, and the Taxi Operators of Negros Occidental have said in media reports they are not participating in the transport strike.
Source: The Philippines News Agency
