Tension mars militants' rally at Pandacan oil depot

Tension gripped at the oil depot in Manila's Pandacan district before noon Wednesday as militants held a rally there to protest recent fuel price hikes. Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-National Capital Region (Bayan-NCR) engaged police and oil depot guards in a shoving match during the rally, radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported. Bayan-NCR members brought with them placards protesting the recent spate of fuel price hikes, the report said. Some of the protesters also called for a big-time rollback while others tried to remove the barricades at the entrance to the oil depot compound. The protesters eventually left to join a protests in "rally centers" in Metro Manila, the report said. Militant transport groups had also scheduled a protest caravan from Quezon City to the offices of major oil firms to register their opposition to recent fuel price hikes. Meanwhile, Makati City police tightened security at the premises of the Pilipinas Shell's main office there in anticipation of a protest caravan by militant transport groups led by the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide had planned a protest caravan from Quezon City to Makati City for Wednesday. The head offices of two of three oil giants – Petron and Chevron – had been moved to eastern Metro Man— LBG, GMA News