Southern RP Transport Groups Hold Summit, Demand More Rollback on Oil Prices, Etc.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 17, 2008) – Public transport groups in the southern Philippines held a summit Wednesday in Davao City in an effort to strongly campaign for the more rollback in prices of oil and scrapping of the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products.

The summit was organized by the Transport of Southern Mindanao for Solidarity, Independence and Nationalism (TRANSMISION).

Edil Gonzaga, the group’s spokesman, said despite recent rollbacks on oil prices, transport operators and public utility drivers should not waver in calling for the scrapping of the 12 percent VAT. “In fact, we should not be contented with the rollbacks because oil companies are not transparent in their pricing schemes,” he said.

Gonzaga said there is dire need for the government to have a permanent solution to stop oil companies from just raising their pump prices. “There is a strong need for the nationalization of local oil industry because this industry is vital to the country’s economic development, therefore should not remain in the hands of profit-driven oil cartel,” he said.

Transport Strike, Inakong Tagumpay Ng KMU, Militante

Ang protesta ng mga transport groups sa Davao City sa Mindanao sa mga larawang ipinadala sa Mindanao Examiner.(Kuha ni Keith Bacongco ng AKP Images)

QUEZON CITY, Pilipinas (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 14, 2007) – Inako ngayon ng Kilusang Mayo Uno at iba pang mga militanteng grupo at transport organizations na malaking tagumpay ang naganap na protesta kontra sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis at iba pang bilihin sa bansa.

“Sa panimulang arangkada pa lamang ay tagumpay na ang pambansang protesta at welgang transportasyon na inilunsad ng PISTON at mga samahan sa transport sa ilalim ng All Transport Forum Against Oil Price Increase,” ani ng KMU sa ibinigay na pahayag sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Kahapon lamang ay nagsabi si Kal. Angelo Reyes ng Department of Energy na wala nang magaganap na anumang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo hanggang katapusan ng taon, na tahasang bumabawi sa pahayag ng mga kumpanya ng langis na may underrecovery pa sila na P1.50.

Pinatutunayan din nito na hindi tutuong “walang magagawa” ang gubyerno. Mas mahalaga, napatampok ng pambansang pagkilos ang tatlong pangunahing panawagan ng mga driver at mamamayan: ang pagpapatigil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis; ang pag-alis sa RVAT o buwis sa langis; at ang pagbabasura sa Batas Deregulasyon sa Langis, ayon pa sa KMU.

Dahil sa kampanyang inilunsad ng PISTON, naging usap-usapan ang paggamit ng oil cartel sa Oil Deregulation Law para lalong palobohin ang tubo nito mula sa produktong petrolyo.

Naging tampok din ang kainutilan, kundi man ang pakikipagsabwatan ng gobyerno ni Arroyo sa mga kumpanya ng langis. Laluna't nagdagdag pa ito sa presyo ng langis sa pamamagitan ng P3 per litro na RVAT.

Nakatulong sa ibayong pagsigla ng kampanya ang pagkakabuo ng People's Unity Against Oil Price Increase na naging lunduan sa pagsama at pakikiisa ng mga manggagawa, kabataan, kababaihan, empleyado ng gobyerno, migrante, mga guro, at iba pang sektor at grupo sa kilos protesta-welga ng mga driver.

Nabuo ang All Transport Forum Against Oil Price Increase na binubuo ng PISTON at mga independienteng samahan at mga kasapi ng ibang transport groups na nagkaisang maglunsad ng mga kilos protesta at welgang transportasyon.

Mahalagang karagdagan dito ang mga samahan sa Marikina, San Juan, Eastern Rizal, Alabang, at ang Makati Transport Group na binubuo ng mga jeepney at tricycle associations.

Naidaos ang isang mapayapang kilos protesta at welga sa harap ng mga pagtatangka ng pamahalaan na ilihis ang isyu, at pananakot hinggil sa posibleng pagbawi sa prankisa ng mga lalahok na operator.

Lumahok sa Pambansang Koordinadong Kilos Protesta at Welgang Transportasyon ang mga sumusunod na ruta.

Ang partisipasyon na masasalamin sa pagkawala ng mga jeepney at iba pang tipo ng sasakyang pampubliko ay: 90% sa Tanay, Morong, Angono, Binangonan, Cardona, Taytay, at Cainta sa Rizal; 90% Pasig Tramo; 50% sa Pasig Palengke; 90% sa Commonwealth at UP; 90% sa Novaliches; 100% Kamias; 80% sa Cubao; 80% sa Pier South; 70% sa Baclaran; 95% sa Alabang; 90% sa Zapote; 100% sa Tramo Pasay. Sa mga probinsya, 95% sa Davao at Cagayan de Oro City; 90% sa Gen. Santos City, 98-99% sa Iloilo, Roxas at Aklan; 90% sa Negros Occidental; 85%-98% sa Bicol Provinces; 90% sa Sta. Cruz, San Pedro at Calamba, Laguna; .80% sa 3rd District ng Batangas (Tanauan, Sto. Tomas, Lipa);

”Simula pa lang ito ng laban. Nabuksan na ang usapin ng pagbabasura sa Batas Deregulasyon sa Langis sa Kongreso, laluna't may mga panukalang batas na inihain na sa Mababang Kapulungan at Senado,” dagdag pa ng KMU.

Transport Groups Protest Oil Price Hikes In South RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 10, 2007) - Militant transport groups in the southern Filipino port city of Davao said it would join national strike this week to protest continued hikes in oil prices.

Edil Gonzaga, spokesperson of the Transport of Southern Mindanao for Solidarity, Independence and Nationalism-PISTON(TRANSMISION-PISTON), said there will be more protest actions unless President Gloria Arroyo exerts substantial effort to put a cap on surging hikes of prices of petroleum products.

"Drivers and operators around the country have been demanding the government to put a stop on these unabated oil price increases. Poor Filipinos have been clamoring economic relief from the consequent upsurge of prices of basic commodities. Time and time again, the Arroyo administration has never failed to disappoint the clamor of the Filipinos," Gonzaga told the Mindanao Examiner.

Gonzaga also lambasted the so-called "Big Three," or transnational oil companies Shell, Caltex and Petron. He said these firms control 90% of the oil market in the country, from production, refinery, retail and marketing.

This control, he added, has given the three companies monopoly over setting the price trend of all oil and petroleum products in the country.

"What can you expect from profit-hungry companies like like Shell, Caltex and Petron? All they are concerned about is increasing their profit margins hundredfolds. What do they care if ordinary drivers and Filipinos can no longer afford basic commodities, which prices consequently skyrocketed due to unabated hike in the price of oil?"

He also pointed out that the government has "washed its hands clean" with its policy on oil price hikes. Due to the Oil Deregulation Law that took effect in 1998, Gonzaga said that oil companies are afforded by the government with the free hand to increase the price of oil in their discretion.

"All this government needs is the political will to severe its subservience to big oil companies. It needs the same political will to scrap the ODL that continues to give these companies the lee way to hike oil price whenever and to how much they want," Gonzaga said.