The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) is on high alert for protests and a transportation strike during the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 23.
The Bacolod Alliance of Commuters, Operators and Drivers (BACOD) are set to stage a one day transportation strike but the majority of the transport groups and modern jeepneys in Bacolod will continue to operate.
Rudy Agsam Catedral, BACOD president, said the rally centers of their transport strike will be at the old Bacolod airport in the south and at the flyover area in Barangay Bata in the north.
They are protesting the phase out of traditional jeepneys by December and calling for the replacement and investigation of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board officials in Western
Visayas, Catedral said.
Bayan Negros is also staging a protest against the Marcos administration in front of the Fountain of Justice at the old Bacolod City Hall at 1 a.m. Monday.
The Bacolod City Police Office will provide free rides for commuters to the commuters who will be affected by a transport strike, Col. Noel Aliño, BCPO director, said on Sunday.
“Team BCPO is 100 percent ready for the SONA” and will dispatch police vehicles to give free rides to those who will be affected by the strike, he said.
The “Oplan Libreng Sakay” will have a fleet of 17 patrol cars stationed strategically to cover the different routes in Bacolod, Aliño said.
The Police Station 1 will cover the Banago-Downtown-Libertad route, PS2 – Eroreco-Downtown, PS3 – Bata-Libertad and Mandalagan-Libertad, PS4 – Estefania-Downtown and Villamonte-Downtown, PS5 – Granada-Burgos and Abada Escay-Burgos;
PS6 – Taculing-Downtown and Doña Juliana-Downtown, PS7 – Mansilingan-Downtown and Alijis-Downton, PS8 – Pahanocoy-Downtown and Tangub-Downtown, PS9 – Sum-ag-Downtown and Cabug-Downtown, and PS10 – Handumanan-Libertad and Felisa-Libertad.
The BCPO’s Civil Disturbance Management team will also be on standby for possible protests and rallies, Aliño said.
Aliño said the police will exercise maximum tolerance and ensure the safety and security of Bacoleños.*