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July 4, 2005
The National Transport Union-Alliance of Progressive
Labor (NTU-APL) denounces the threat made last week by Maria Elena Bautista, Land Transportation and
Franchising and Regulatory Board Chief that public
utility jeepneys and buses, which will be caught
transporting participants joining protests rallies and
activities against the government, will have to face
franchise cancellation.
“This is pure and simple harassment and a clear
infringement of our basic human rights. Bautista seems
to be unaware of or is completely ignoring the
legitimate and inherent right of every citizen to seek
redress from government, to air grievances, and to hit
the streets to express their sentiment and this
include the right of drivers and operators to allow
participants in protest actions to use their public
utility vehicles. If Bautista does not understand
this, then she has no right running the LTFRB or any
public office for that matter,” Manuel Duran,
President of NTU said.
The LTFRB has been resorting to this threat every time
transport groups join protest activities especially if
these are transport strikes. Only last April, the
LTFRB announces the same against drivers and operators
of public utility vehicles that joined the nationwide
transport strike seeking transport fare increases.
“The government’s motive is obvious. It wants to sow
fear among the drivers and operators and prevent the
protesters to converge in a public venue where they
will hold their protest action against the government.
However, we say that this tactic of the government is
already worn out and will never cow us especially if
the government continue to be insensitive to our
interests,” Duran added.
The group said that the government is more desperate
now in trying to clamp down on protesters as President
Arroyo faces serious questions of legitimacy in
running the government and the possible end of her
rule due to severe accusations of election fraud while
her family is continuously being investigated for
alleged involvement in jueteng scandal or illegal
gambling pay-offs amounting to hundreds of millions of
pesos.
The NTU-APL calls on other transport groups to defy
the threat of the LTFRB as it vows to support the
struggle of the Filipino people for a government that
will truly represent the interests and will of the
majority who are poor.
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