Nationwide transport strike set March 26-27 over rising oil prices

MANILA, Philippines, March 25 ------ Over 20 transport groups composed of jeepney, bus, UV Express and transport network vehicle service (TNVS) drivers will stage a two-day nationwide strike from March 26 to 27 to demand government action on rising fuel prices linked to tensions in the Middle East.

In a press conference, Mody Floranda, president of Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), said the protest will follow their earlier two-day strike held from March 19 to 20. He noted that the upcoming action is expected to draw more participants, with support from other transport, labor, and commuter groups. Aside from Metro Manila, Floranda added that protests will also be held in various regions of the country. “On [March] 27 in the afternoon, there will be a gathering in Welcome Rotonda… and we will again march toward Mendiola to ask the administration ‘what now?’ What is the government doing now regarding the continued increase in the price of petroleum,” Floranda said.

Joining the protest are Kariders and Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong or Kagulong, which are groups composed of motorcycle taxi and delivery riders; Bus Employees Association of the Philippines, composed of bus drivers and operators; and Laban TNVS, composed of TNVS drivers using four-wheel vehicles. Also joining are workers’ groups Defend Jobs Philippines and BPO Industry Employees Network. Members of PARA Commuters’ Network and National Union of Students of the Philippines will also participate.

The groups have formed an alliance called No to Oil Price Hike coalition that pushes several demands, including the suspension of value-added and excise tax on petroleum products, rollback of fuel prices to P55 per liter, repeal of oil deregulation law and implementation of fare hike across all modes of transportation. The groups are also calling for a nationalization of the oil industry, with the government taking control of fuel prices, and for an end to the Middle East conflict.

Don Pangan, secretary general of Kagulong, said during the briefing that the cash aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is not enough to augment the losses being incurred by motorcycle taxi and delivery riders every day. “Based on our count, motorcycle taxi and delivery riders are losing up to P220 of their daily income. If you calculate it, the P5,000 worth of cash aid being distributed and offered by the DSWD will only amount to less than 21 days [of income],” he said.

Meanwhile, some bus drivers and conductors have already lost their income because many bus companies, especially small operators, have decided to stop or reduce their operations, said Sandy Hachaso, lead convenor of the Bus Employees Association of the Philippines. Because of the high fuel prices, he said the expenses of some bus drivers have increased by up to P6,000 to P8,640 per day, reducing their daily income by around 50 percent. “If before they earned almost P1,000, they are now bringing home only half, or even less than half,” said Hachaso.

Speaking for Laban TNVS, an allied organization, Defend Jobs Philippines spokesperson Ted Lazaro said in the same briefing that thousands of TNVS drivers are expected to join the upcoming transport strike this week. He said around 5,000 units are expected to stop accepting booking requests during the protest, as a way of expressing their grievances regarding the oil crisis.

Source: inquirer.net