The two-day transportation strike that kicked off yesterday paralyzed 96 percent of public transportation in Bacolod City , but failed to succeed in majority of the towns and cities of Negros Occidental, the police said.

However, Jessie Ortega, United Negros Drivers Operators Center secretary general, called the first day of their strike a success and a victory.

Ortega said they paralyzed 99 percent of public transportation in Bacolod City and 90 percent in the rest of the province.

But he lamented the fact that owners of private vehicles refused to support their cause by continuing to ply the streets.

UNDOC and the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association are staging the strike to demand government action against the rising prices of fuel.

“We are fighting for lower prices of fuel that will benefit all, we call on the owners of private vehicles to support our fight on the second day of our strike,” he said.

Ortega said they will continue to paralyze public transportation starting 6 a.m. today and at 3:30 p.m. they will march to the Bacolod City Hall for a rally before resuming normal operations.

In Bacolod City yesterday jeepneys stayed off the road but trisikads, a few taxis and Ceres Liner buses continued to ply the streets, Senior Inspector Levy Pangue, Bacolod police traffic chief, said.

Some commuters had to wait for more than an hour to get rides in Bacolod , while a few drivers complained of being harassed by protestors.

About 96 percent of public transportation was paralyzed in Bacolod City , Pangue also said.

Except for a few minor complaints of drivers being threatened by some protestors for continuing to ply the streets, the first day of the strike was generally peaceful, Pangue said.

Only about 70 percent of public transportation in Talisay and Silay cities that ferry passengers to Bacolod City stopped operating yesterday, but in the rest of Negros Occidental everything was normal, Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, Negros Occidental police director, said.

There was minimal participation in the strike outside of Bacolod City , he said.

There were no classes in Bacolod private schools, but businesses and government offices remained open yesterday.

Although classes in public schools had not been suspended, hardly any were held with few pupils and teachers showing up.

Most of the employees at the Negros Occidental Capitol reported for work yesterday making operations business as usual.

Gov. Joseph Marañon said he sympathizes with the protestors but the Capitol will continue to operate despite the strike.

Marañon said that if the protestors achieved their purpose on the first day of the strike, he hoped they would end it today.

But if they want to continue with the strike there is nothing we can do about it, he added.

The League of Filipino Students expressed their support for the transport strike in a statement issued yesterday.

The government and the oil giants have been in cahoots in overpricing fuel products, the LFS claimed.*CPG

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