Guadiz: ‘Happy’ to see ‘no stranded passengers’ despite transport strike

MANILA, Philippines — There have so far been zero stranded passengers amid the two-day transport strike organized by groups Manibela and Piston, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said on Monday.

According to LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III, the agency — through the “Inter-agency Tigil Pasada” with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Transportation — regularly monitors the commuters’ situation in various parts of Metro Manila.

“Right now, I am happy to tell you that there are no stranded passengers and hopefully, after their two-day strike, there will be no stranded passengers,” Guadiz said in Filipino in a Palace briefing.

Guadiz brushed off earlier reports of stranded commuters in several parts of Metro Manila.

“First of all, those who are said to be stranded, these are the regular traffic on a Monday. There are many passengers. There are really few jeepneys passing by because of the traffic,” he said.

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“These are regular traffic scenes. These are not stranded passengers.”

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Meanwhile, Guadiz also noted that only a few jeepney drivers and operators joined the transport strike staged by Manibela and Piston.

Based on photos posted by Manibela, dozens of commuters flocked to the sides of the street to wait for a ride, particularly in Pasig, Las Piñas, and Quezon City.

READ: Commuters in parts of Metro Manila left stranded amid transport strike

Piston and Manibela claimed that around 90,000 members of their members were expected to join the nationwide strike to protest the government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP).