ILOILO CITY, Philippines?Transport groups on Panay Island are scheduled to start Monday morning a two-day strike to protest the continued increase in oil prices and the significant increase in fines for traffic violations.

The strike led by the Hugpong Transport alliance is expected to significantly affect public transport in Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, and Guimaras Island, said Edgar Salarda, one of the convenors of the alliance.

The strike started at 12:01 a.m. Monday and will end at midnight on Wednesday.

Salarda, also chairman of the Panay chapter of the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), said around 90 percent of public jeepneys in Iloilo province would stop plying their routes.

He said most public jeepneys in Iloilo City would also stay off the streets even as some leaders of the Iloilo City Alliance of Drivers Associations (Icada) have declared that they would not join the protest action.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said he did not foresee any inconvenience to commuters because most of the transport groups in the city would not join the protest.

But Treñas said he would order the suspension of the perimeter boundary ordinance, which bars provincial jeepneys from entering the city proper, and allow tricycles and pedicabs to ply the city?s streets if there would be a lack of jeepneys.

Public transportation was also expected to be paralyzed in Aklan, including the capital town of Kalibo, because of the participation of jeepney associations plying the province and groups of tricycle drivers and operations within Kalibo.

Salarda said the strike would be joined by jeepney and tricycle drivers and operators groups in Capiz and Roxas City.

The continued rise in oil prices have pushed down their income after the series of rollback in the minimum fare, he said.

The protesting groups also want the suspension of the implementation of Department of Transportation and Communication Department Order 2008-39 which increased fines for violations from 300 percent to 9,900 percent depending on the violation.

Police have been placed on alert in anticipation of the strike.

Iloilo police director Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz said more policemen will be deployed to key areas to prevent violence.