It has been said that the conditions of women and children reflect the extent of poverty in a country because they are the most vulnerable to it. But as the history of March 8, as well as that of other people’s struggles in history show, women could also be the face of the struggle. By [...]
MANILA – Drivers and operators allied with Piston (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide) held an early morning noise barrage at Anda Street in Manila this Wednesday to protest what was then still looming as another round of oil price hike. On the same day, they marched to meet with a bigger group of protesters from the multisectoral alliance Bayan and Kilusang Mayo Uno. They held a louder and longer noise barrage in front of one of the gas stations of Petron, one of the leading oil firms in the so-called Big Three operating in the Philippines.
With placards requesting the motorists to honk their horn in agreement with the protesters – many motorists honked in response as they passed by – activists held a program interspersed with noise-making to sound their alarm at the unchecked “profiteering” of the oil companies, and “inaction” of the Aquino government.
On Thursday, the oil companies pushed ahead with their price hikes. Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum, SeaOil Philippines, Total Philippines and Eastern Petroleum raised the pump prices of gasoline by P1 to P1.35 per liter and by 50 centavos per liter for diesel and kerosene.
Alternatives
“The global oil cartel is gearing for more increases yet Aquino has not heeded calls for consumer relief, such as the removal of the VAT on oil. Aquino allies in congress have not taken up alternative bills to the oil deregulation law. Aquino’s indifference to the people’s plight says a lot about his “daang matuwid,” Bayan said.
Based on the group’s monitoring, the pump price of diesel has already increased by P2.65 per liter while unleaded gasoline has jumped by P4.60 after seven rounds of oil price hikes this year. During the same period, the retail price of an 11-kilogram cylinder tank of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) increased by P115.50.
But instead of addressing the consumers’ demand for immediate relief, Aquino has only revived his already discredited Pantawid Pasada program, which gives a small amount of subsidy to public transport drivers. Recipients have complained that the ‘aid’ is not just insufficient, it is also difficult to acquire and worse, their cards sometimes “eat it up.”
Not just the drivers’ protests
On March 15, peoples’ organizations are inviting the public to join a nationwide protest against oil price hikes, oil overpricing and Oil Deregulation Law.
“It is important for the government to know that it is not only the country’s drivers who are protesting against the oil price hikes, but most of the people, too,” said George San Mateo, national president of Piston. He said that most of us are affected by the oil price hikes.
The women agreed. “The Aquino government does nothing but watch the Filipinos suffer from worsening poverty,” Joms Salvador of Gabriela said at the rally against oil price hikes. She added that in the 14 years of oil deregulation law, the government has done nothing but ensure the profits of oil cartel while the people are pushed deeper into poverty.
Text and photos by Marya Salamat
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Slideshow: Women slam Aquino’s inaction on price hikes
February 25th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
The 12% VAT should not be done away with, because this will give the oil corporations a “carte blanc” to increase the price of their petroleum products by 12%.