Jeepney group sets 3-day PH-wide strike to push fuel tax suspension
Despite a projected rollback in fuel prices this week, transport group Manibela announced on Monday that it would be holding a nationwide strike this coming Wednesday to Friday, saying the government has not done enough to address the impact of successive oil price increases.
This will be the third transport strike to be staged by jeepney drivers over soaring fuel prices because of the Middle East crisis. Piston earlier went on strike on March 19 to March 20 and then again on March 26 to March 27.
At a press briefing, Manibela chair Mar Valbuena accused the Marcos government of letting oil companies profit from the crisis.
According to Valbuena, at least 80,000 members are expected to join the mass action in Metro Manila and other areas, including Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban, Ormoc, Samar, Catbalogan, Catarman, Iligan, Ozamiz, General Santos City, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
Manibela will also be joined by other transport groups, such as the United Transport Alliance Nationwide and those representing motorcycle taxis and transport network vehicle services.
Demands
Among the group’s demands are the suspension of excise and value-added taxes (VAT) on fuel products and a rollback in oil prices.
This is on top of the upcoming “significant” decrease in fuel costs starting on April 14, with the prices of diesel expected to go down by P20.89 per liter; gasoline by P4.43 per liter; and kerosene by P8.50 per liter.
For Valbuena, however, the price of diesel, which powers trucks and public utility vehicles (PUVs), should go back down to at least P55 per liter.
He called out Energy Secretary Sharon Garin for “conditioning the minds of the public,” citing reports where she said that prices of petroleum products can no longer go down to just around P60 per liter.
“You’re saying a lot of infrastructure was destroyed. But you know, Secretary Garin, no matter what gets destroyed, as long as [global oil] prices go down, we should be a part of that,” Valbuena said.
He also criticized the service contracting program of the government, which would be implemented starting on April 15, the first day of the strike.
Valbuena said the program would benefit only around 50,000 jeepney drivers, with the funding allotted for the program just good for a few weeks.
Palace press officer Claire Castro, meanwhile, appealed to the transport group, saying a strike would not be helpful at a time when “negotiation, dialogue, and cooperation” are necessary.
She clarified that President Marcos has no authority to suspend the VAT on fuel products “because there is currently no law granting such power.”
“So there may be a misconception that with just one click, the President can suspend VAT,” Castro said. —WITH A REPORT FROM LUISA CABATO
