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MANILA — As part of the transport strikes held in different parts of the Philippines, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) along with allied organizations march from Welcome Rotonda to Mendiola, pushing their demands to control oil prices, increase wages, remove Value Added Tax (VAT) and excise tax on oil, and repeal the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998.

In line with previous transport strikes and mobilizations held in different parts of the Philippines, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) along with allied organizations march from Welcome Rotonda to Mendiola, pushing their demands to lower oil prices, increase wages, remove Value Added Tax (VAT), excise tax on oil and to repeal the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998.

Since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran, oil prices in the Philippines have skyrocketed, with diesel reaching P120 (US$2 USD) and gasoline pricing at P80 ($1.3) per liter, as of writing. Urban poor, workers, women, and other marginalized groups bear the brunt of the effects of oil price hikes amid inadequate support from the government. They also decried the inaction of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration.

For jeepney drivers like Ely Villena, president of PISTON-NCR, the aggressive rise of petrol further constricted his livelihood. The more than P1,000 ($17) per day earning has shrunk to just P300 ($5), while having to work longer hours. He is expected to receive his P5,000 ($83) fuel subsidy next week but he said that this is far from enough. “We have to pay up to P3,500 ($58) worth of fuel for our jeeps everyday, so that P5,000 of subsidy is not enough to support us,” he said in Filipino. He echoed the calls to increase minimum wage, remove VAT and excise tax on oil, and abolish the Oil Deregulation Law, explaining that these only burden marginalized groups.

Gabriela Secretary General Clarice Palce added that these added taxes make it harder to access basic necessities such as medicine and food. “When budgets are tight, it is our mothers who save food for her family… We are here not just to suspend the implementation of excise tax and VAT on oil, but to remove it entirely [to ease our burden]…Even then, the money that is taxed from the people goes directly inside the suitcases of the [corrupt],” she explained during the program.

She denounced Marcos Jr. for downplaying the oil crisis. She called for the rollback of oil prices and other measures which will address the impacts of the crisis rather than stop-gap solutions. (CAM, RVO)

Text and photos by Viggo Sarmago

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