The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) suspended the Expanded Number Coding Scheme on Monday, March 6, Makati and Las Piñas included, due to the transport strike that will start on the same day.
The week-long strike has been called by the transport group Manibela to protest against the government’s Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program.
The MMDA is enacting contingency measures to ensure that the commuting public will not be inconvenienced and transportation operations will not be paralyzed during the week-long transport strike. The agency will dispatch a total of 25 Libreng Sakay vehicles that will offer free rides to commuters that will be affected.
These Libreng Sakay vehicles, which include 4 air-conditioned buses, 2 non-air-conditioned buses, and 13 commuter vans, can carry around 1,200 passengers per trip.
MMDA General Manager Usec. Procopio Lipana, who is also the head of the inter-agency secretariat, is warning motorists against taking advantage of the situation in the next few days. The agency will deploy more than 2,000 personnel to monitor situations on the ground who are tasked to give immediate feedback and reports as to areas where there are stranded commuters.
Also read: MMDA: No Contact Apprehension Policy is still suspended
The MMDA will assess whether there is a need to suspend the Expanded Number Coding Scheme for the other days of the week.
