No classes on Monday in San Pedro, San Pablo in Laguna due to jeepney strike

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines — The cities of San Pedro and San Pablo in Laguna province will suspend in-person classes at all levels on Monday, Oct. 16, due to a scheduled jeepney transport strike.

Both cities will, however, shift to modular and online classes.

San Pedro Mayor Art Joseph Francis Mercado and the San Pablo City Information Office both announced the suspension in their Facebook pages on Sunday.

The transport group Manibela will push through with its nationwide strike on Monday despite the recantation of the corruption allegations by a supposed whistleblower against the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Manibela chair Mar Valbuena warned that the group’s biggest strike so far could last indefinitely until President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would heed its members’ requests to suspend the implementation of the public utility vehicle modernization program.

The group is also urging the government to allow traditional jeepneys to continue operating beyond the Dec. 31 deadline.

According to Valbuena, thousands of jeepneys belonging to “80 percent” — or at least 600 out of the 785 transportation routes in Metro Manila — committed to participating in the strike.

Other transport groups in the provinces also said they would join the strike, he said.

atm