PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. clarified that Malacañang’s suspension of classes in Metro Manila on Tuesday, March 20, was not due to a serious security threat, but rather an “actual and/or imminent threats posed by some groups.”

When asked what he meant by the imminent threat, Mr. Roque, in his briefing at the Palace, pointed to the warning made Monday by a transport group of a possible continued strike over the government’s jeepney modernization program.

“Yung threats na ’yan ay nanggagaling sa walang masakyan ang ating mga kabataan. ’Di natin sinusugal ang kapakanan ng ating mga kabataan (The threats are coming from the possibility that there would be no public transport for our youth. We do not gamble on the welfare of our youth),” he said.

Mr. Roque also explained that the suspension of classes was not linked to the government’s classification of the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorists.

“The President has said that he will not sacrifice the safety of our students, and that is why he decided late last night to in fact suspend classes today,” Mr. Roque said.

“We reiterate that the government remains steadfast to modernize our public utility vehicles and will not be bullied or held hostage by some transport groups,” he added.

Senate committee on public services Chair Senator Mary Grace Natividad S. Poe-Llamanzares, meanwhile, said the complaints raised by drivers and operators about the modernization program are valid concerns that should not be swept under the rug.

“There should be a meeting of the minds that can only be achieved through continuous dialogue,” the Senator said in a statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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