Tricycle strike greets students of Virac, Catanduanes

VIRAC, Catanduanes -- Pedicab drivers had a field day ferrying passengers after nearly all of this capital town's 2,500 tricycle drivers and operators went on strike over the inaction of the municipal council on a pending fare increase ordinance.The tricycle is the main mode of transportation in this town, with multicabs (mini trucks), jeepneys and buses plying routes to other towns.According to Joel Sarmiento, president of the Federation of Virac Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (Fedvitoda) their sector was the worst hit by the recent series of oil price hike.Sarmiento said a tricycle driver normally consumes five liters of premium gasoline during eight hours of operation. Only those who ply their routes until as late as 9 p.m. bring home at least P200.Drivers who do not own their tricycles are even worse off, as they have to pay the vehicle owner a “boundary” fee of P120 per day, he said.Virac Mayor Santos Zafe and the Catanduanes provincial police command immediately deployed "Libreng Sakay" (Free Ride) vehicles, particularly along routes to the Catanduanes State Colleges and other schools with big student populations.The tricycle driver's group filed a fare hike petition in November last year but decided to withdraw this after oil companies rolled back fuel prices.The group then re-filed their petition after the series of oil price increase last February, but the municipal council have failed to immediately act on their petition.