Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume III, Number 43 November 30 - December 6, 2003 Quezon City, Philippines |
Negros-wide
Transport Strike Public
transport drivers and operators were about to petition for a P1 fare hike last
week when they were slapped with another oil price hike – the second in a
month. The recent oil price hike was the 58th since the oil industry
was deregulated seven years ago. Drivers are threatening a big transport strike. By
Karl G. Ombion BACOLOD
CITY -- The militant United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC) has
slammed the government and oil cartels anew for the new round of oil price hike,
as it threatened to stage massive strikes and petition for a P1 fare rate
increase. Jesse
Ortega, UNDOC secretary-general, scored the Macapagal-Arroyo administration and
oil giants as being hell-bent on making the people poorer by further
liberalizing the oil industry resulting in frequent oil price hikes. Ortega
made the statement last Friday hours after oil companies increased the prices of
petroleum products by an average P0.47 per liter. It was the second in a month. "This
is too much, this is evil, and this will only turn the lives of our people into
a state of total poverty and misery," he said. Fare
hike petition Days
before the new hike in prices of petroleum products, Ortega's group was planning
to petition for a P1 fare increase because of "deplorable hardships by
drivers who only make a take-home earning of P50 to P66 at the most per 12-hour
work everyday." "We
were still planning for a petition, and they slapped us with another round of
oil price hike," Ortega said. Ortega
said that with the Oil Deregulation Law in effect, the government and the oil
giants continue to rake super profits, while the Filipino people wallow in
misery. Bulatlat.com
research reveals that from 1996 – the year the first oil deregulation law
(RA 8180) took effect - until 2000, the prices of petroleum products shot up 25
times. Since then, prices increased 22 times more (Dec. 2000-Dec. 2002). This
year alone, oil prices went up 11 times – with last week’s increase the 58th
under oil deregulation. Despite
the continuous slide of world crude oil prices from September 2001 until today,
the oil giants have increased the prices of oil products through various
overpricing and transfer pricing. Thus, contrary to claims of losses by oil
companies, the super profits of the oil giants are on a steady rise, with a
total net income for Shell, Caltex and Petron at P16.7 billion from 1998-2000,
and about P11 billion from 2001 to first half-2003. In
addition, the oil giants’ income from overpricing alone registered a
staggering P1.7 billion in 1998, P5 billion in 2000, P1.24 billion in 2001, P4.5
billion in 2002, and P2.2 billion in first half of 2003. Dictating
prices at will Explained
Epi Gelle, Bayan Negros secretary-seneral: "In a deregulated environment,
oil giants can now easily dictate the prices of petroleum products at will and
anytime." This
is only proved, Gelle said, that the oil deregulation law did not at all break
up the monopoly control of oil cartel, or open the market to new players to
become competitive. The
deregulation of oil has merely given the oil giants more power to dictate prices
and control of the country’s oil reserves and energy resources, he added. Ortega
on the other hand said that the impact of oil cartel’s exploitative practices
is harshest on the poorest sectors of society, especially the drivers and the
"remedyo heneral" (odd jobbers). Citing
case studies, he said that for every peso that a consumer spends on oil product,
the government earns not less than P0.10, and that for every P4 that commuters
pay for the first five kilometers of their ride, an average of P1.16 goes to the
oil companies, P2 to the operator (as rental for "boundary"), and a
measly P0.84 to the driver. Aside
from this, the oil price hike affects the prices of basic commodities. Bulatlat.com
studies show that prices of basic agricultural commodities in the region
increased by at least 10%, and up to 16% for non-agricultural goods in 1998, and
surged to as high as 39% from 2000 to first half of 2003. As of press time, UNDOC is spearheading Unity Forums with various sectors to draw the broadest support for their planned massive strikes and fare hike campaign. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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