ILOILO City — Transport groups here declared their one-day transport holiday a success on Monday, despite minimal disruption on the ground, as they intensified calls for immediate fare adjustments and long-term solutions to soaring fuel prices now exceeding P110 per liter.
The Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations, Inc. (WVATCCI) said the protest effectively sent a strong message to the national government on the urgent need for intervention in the face of escalating fuel costs threatening the survival of the public transport sector.
According to WVATCCI secretary and spokesperson Winefredo Doblizo Jr., member cooperatives and corporations participated in the transport holiday.
“Kon may nakita kita nga nagbiyahe indi na namon control kay ti indi sila member sang aton alliance. Sa amon nga part, very successful ang ining transport holiday,” said Doblizo.
Participating groups included Molo Transport Service Cooperative, Aerostar Transport Cooperative, Iloilo Superman Owners and Drivers Transport Cooperative, Iloilo City Alliance Operators and Drivers Transport Cooperative, JJL Transport Corporation, Joroshley Transport Services Incorporated, Western Visayas Transport Cooperative, and Calumpang Iloilo Service Transport Cooperative.
However, some modernized jeepneys continued operating, particularly those under Metro Iloilo Transport Service Cooperative (MITSCOOP) and Leon Transport Service Cooperative, which are not members of the alliance.
Some traditional jeepneys also chose to ply their routes, including units whose drivers opted to work due to livelihood concerns.
Doblizo said the alliance respected the decision of those who did not join the transport holiday.
“Gindayaw man naton ang ila commitment to prioritize service para sa commuters. Gina-intindi man namon sila,” stressed Doblizo.
He also thanked the Iloilo City and Iloilo Provincial governments for implementing “Libre Sakay,” which ensured that no passengers were stranded during the transport holiday.
Earlier, WVATCCI president Sherry Rose Songano said that 1,782 modern and traditional jeepney units under the alliance with routes in Iloilo City joined the protest action.
“This decision is not a matter of choice but an unavoidable measure taken to prevent the total financial collapse of our industry, the public utility jeepneys,” said Songano during a press conference.
Songano said members had absorbed successive fuel price increases from February 28 to March 21 to maintain uninterrupted services, but the surge of diesel prices beyond P110 per liter has made continued operations unsustainable without fare adjustments.
“If left, unaddressed, this situation will inevitably result in the total collapse of our operations, an outcome that will adversely affect not only the riding public but also the thousands of employees and families whose livelihoods depend on the transport industry,” said Songano.
She emphasized that the transport holiday was not intended to inconvenience commuters but to highlight the urgency of government action.
The WVATCCI is pushing for the immediate implementation of previously approved fare increases of P1 for traditional jeepneys and P2 for modern units, as well as a transparent and comprehensive fare review based on current fuel prices to ensure a sustainable transport system./PN
