THE Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO) yesterday called off a planned strike today after meeting with officials of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Department of Transportation and Communication and the Land Transportation Office to iron out details of the implementation of a unified traffic ticketing system in the metropolis.

ACTO president Efren de Luna told reporters he and his colleagues in the transport sector were pleased with the result of the dialogue held at Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan and the promise of concerned officials that the single traffic ticketing system will soon be put in place in Metro Manila.

ACTO threatened last Friday a metro-wide strike by member-drivers in order to force transport authorities to give in to its demand for a single-ticketing system for traffic violators in the whole metropolis. De Luna accused local government units with different traffic violation tickets of making milking cows of jeepney drivers through exorbitant traffic fines.

However, other leaders of jeepney operators and drivers associations who also support a single traffic ticketing system and who were present in the dialogue yesterday, said ACTO had not even informed them that it was planning to hold a strike in their behalf.

"Hindi kami kasama sa [transport] strike na ‘yan. Kung ano ang pananaw ng aming kasamang Efren de Luna ay sa kanya na iyon. Pero hindi talaga kami kasama sa pinaplano ng ACTO na strike," said Fejodap president Zenaida Maranan.

Other transport leaders walked out of the dialogue, saying that they will not allow themselves to be used by De Luna for his own agenda. "Gusto ko na nga siyang batuhin ng kamatis. Wala talaga kaming kaalam-alam sa strike na iyan. Ang pinag-uusapan dito ay iyong single ticketing system pero iyon pala may isinusulong na siyang iba," said another transport leader apparently disgusted by De Luna’s motive. "Talagang nagulat ako sa mga pinagsasabi ni De Luna. Wala kaming kaalam-alam na kasama pala kami doon sa sinasabi niyang strike."

Earlier, the Piston group of George San Mateo said it will not join De Luna’s group in the strike as it does not trust him to really fight for the rights of the transport sector. "Bagamat lehitimong problema ng mga drivers ang isyung dadalhin sa diumano’y welga sa Pebrero 23, duda kami sa motibo at sinseridad ni De Luna na isulong ang binabalak nitong welga. Mahirap para sa amin na sumama sa diumano’y transport strike ni De Luna dahil wala siyang kredibilidad sa mayorya ng mga tsuper at operators sanhi ng maraming beses nitong pagbaligtad at pagbalimbing sa maraming welga sa nakaraan," San Mateo said.

"Batay sa aming naging karanasan kay De Luna sa mga nakaraang welga, wala itong prinsipyo at lagi itong biglang bumabalimbing at umuurong sa mga labanan kapag ito ay kinakausap ng Malacañang at ng mga malalaking kumpanya ng langis," he added.