CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 March) — A federation of transport cooperatives will stage a transport strike on Monday to press the government for fuel subsidies and fare hikes amid rising fuel costs.

Luzviminda Escobidal, president of the Northern Mindanao Federation of Transport Service Cooperatives, said they are losing as much as ₱80,000 a day per cooperative as diesel prices exceed ₱100 per liter.

Escobidal said operators playing the route of Canitoan-Pagatpat to city proper have no choice but to suspend bus operations on Monday to dramatize their plight. 

“We apologize to the riding public, but we are left with no choice but to suspend our bus operations on Monday,” she said.

The federation operates buses along the Canitoan–Pagatpat–Cagayan de Oro route, a major growth corridor with thousands of daily commuters.

A 2022 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 residents use the route daily for work and school.

Escobidal also criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for suspending a fare increase scheduled last March 19, despite earlier assurances that the government would subsidize fuel costs for the transport sector.

Jade Adecer, Cagayan de Oro city information officer, said the city government will provide free rides to commuters affected by the transport strike.

Adecer said the Cagayan de Oro Road and Traffic Administration estimates that only about 30 percent of public transportation will be affected, as many jeepney operators have opted not to join the strike. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)