The city is paralyzed because of the jeepney drivers strike. They claim that there is need for an increase in rates. So do the buses which are still plying their routes although they also claim 200 of their buses have been damaged (glass windows) by the stone-throwing driver-strikers. Mayor [Antonio] Villegas in the conference I called where the bus owners headed by [Antonio] Tony Herras, [Justo] de Dios and [Ramon] Manzano and the jeepney drivers headed by their lawyer [Bonifacio] de Luna and Coms. Enrique Medina of the PSC [Public Service Commission] and [Romeo] Edu of the LTC [Land Transportation Commission] were present, suggested that the jeepneys be organized into one corporation or one working unit working the routes in Manila so that there will be no temptation for the police of Manila to collect tongs from jeepney drivers for preferred parking places and length of awaiting passengers, etc. Maj. Castillo of the MPD [Manila Police District] Traffic Division promised to take steps to meet the demands. Com. Medina will conduct in chambers meeting for the increase of rates of both buses and jeepneys.
But as of now the transportation was running.
Atty. de Luna claims the students offered financing to the jeepney drivers for them to join the Protest March yesterday. That must be the Kabataan Makabayan.
Official Gazette for March 4, 1970: President Marcos met with representatives of drivers and transport operators to consider both short-range and long-range solutions to be problems of transport operations in the Greater Manila area. Key government officials concerned with the problem attended the meeting Jeepney drivers in Manila and suburbs had staged a three-day strike to project their varied complaints.
The conference, held at the Malacañang Council of State room was attended by Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr. Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile, Secretary of Labor Blas F. Ople Secretary of Justice Felix V. Makasiar and acting Secretary of Public Works and Communications Manuel B. Syquio; Mayor Antonio Villegas of Manila, Land Transportation Commissioner Romeo F. Edu, Public Service Commissioner Enrique Medina, Solicitor General Felix Antonio and Police Commissioner Jose Lukban; Antonio Heras and Guy Rodriguez, acting president and director-treasurer, respectively, of the Bus Operators Association of the Philippines; officials of Jeepney Drivers of the Philippines headed by Bonifacio de Luna; Brig. (Jen. Mariano Ordonez, chief of the Metrocom, Col. Jaime Catral, Trafcon chief, and the chiefs of police of the greater Manila area.
The late morning conference was the only one held by the President, thus giving him time to concentrate on urgent paper work which he started soon after breakfast. In the course of the clay, the President issued a directive to the Central Bank and the National Economic Council to undertake a thorough study of the effect and impact of the floating peso-dollar rate on the country’s economy. He told CB Governor Gregorio S. Licaros and NEC Chairman Placido Mapa. Jr. to submit to him within fifteen (15) days all the necessary data and research gathered by their respective technical staffs to guide him in instituting measures to curb any undue rise of prices.
Leoncio Co, Kabataan Makabayan Secretary General and his common-in-law wife Erlinda Taruc, niece of Peregrino Taruc, were captured in Bo. Talaga, Capas, Tarlac, last night.
The congressmen (about 15) who visited me are all agreed the peaceful demonstrations are debilitating and the disorders must now be included into a crisis so that the measures may be taken.