Transport strike fails in Sorsogon

By Bobby Q. Labalan SORSOGON CITY --- Passengers in the province of Sorsogon barely felt the transport strike initiated by transport group CONDOR-Piston nationwide as transportation went on normally since Monday morning. Sorsogon Governor Robert Lee-Rodrigueza said transport services to and from this city, and from the various towns in the province were unaffected by the supposed strike. Rodrigueza said as per reports from various municipalities, transport services -- jeepneys, vans, buses and even tricycles – were plying their routes normally. “It seems that no transport group in the province joined the move,” the governor said. But he added that they have stand-by vehicles which are ready for deployment should there be a need for them. The governor also did not order the cancellation of classes and left the matter to the respective mayors or school principals for them to decide. Joseph John Perez, public information officer of the Department of Education Sorsogon Province division, said no school declared cancellation of classes in relation to the transport strike. Classes were going-on normally as no school was affected by the transport holiday, he said. Even schools in the city reported normal classes since Monday morning, Armand Engay, the city schools division information officer, said. As of noon of the same day, peace and order situation in the province is, likewise, normal, according to Senior Supt. Ronaldo Cabral, the Sorsogon police provincial director. “We have not monitored any untoward incident, so far, in relation to the strike,” he added. Rodrigueza said although they do not expect any more development, they would still keep monitoring the transport holiday until the organizers call it off nationwide. Meanwhile, Ramon Rescovilla, secretary-general of CONDOR-Piston-Bicol, admitted the transport strike failed in Sorsogon but it was successful in the other five provinces in the region. He attributed the failure to the lack of preparation by their local counterparts in the province.