Piston to push through with new transport strike

MANILA, Philippines - While its planned national transport holiday would push through between this month and early May, a transport group on Monday assured the public that the date of the strike would not fall on Labor Day. George San Mateo, secretary general of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston), told GMA News in a telephone interview that the scheduled transport strike was triggered by the series of spikes in world oil. According to a statement released by Piston, the last oil price hike instigated by Big Three oil firms Pilipinas Shell, Chevron, and Petron over the weekend has pushed the price of diesel further to P40 per liter. Piston noted that gasoline prices are now selling from P47.50 to P48 per liter following the recent rounds of oil price hikes. San Mateo said that with the most recent oil price hike, the daily income of a typical driver plying the streets for more than half a day has plummeted even lower to between P125 and P225. Earlier in the day, San Mateo said in an interview over GMA's Unang Balita that the group will stage a transport strike to protest the six consecutive price increases. "Definitely, magkakasa na kami ng nationwide transport strike after maganap ang anim na sunud-sunod na pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo (We will be preparing for a nationwide transport strike after the six consecutive hikes in the prices of petroleum)," San Mateo said in the television interview. San Mateo, however, assured commuters they would still be able to board public utility vehicles come Labor Day since they have excluded May 1 from the list of dates they are considering for the massive transport holiday. "Nais naming linawin na hindi namin itatapat sa Mayo 1 upang pagbigay galang sa ating mga kapatid na manggagawa (We will not set the date on May 1 to respect our fellow laborers)," San Mateo said. San Mateo expressed how badly the drivers needed a transport holiday, adding that the simultaneous price hikes in basic commodities continue to be a burden not only for the transport sector but to the consuming public as well. "Confident kami na mailuluwal natin ang isang malawak na welga dahil hirap na talaga ang mga drayber at ating mga kababayan. Hindi lang oil price hike ang kinakaharap nila, pati pagtaas dinng bigas at kuryente," San Mateo said. San Mateo said that Piston is currently coordinating with the various transport groups, including those which took part in the last nationwide transport holiday on March 11. Piston blasted the government for its lack of "concrete action" to address soaring oil prices. He said the government's inaction is shown by its refusal to reimpose state regulation and control on the local oil prices and oil industry as well as its refusal to buy back state ownership over Petron corporations. "Hindi po ito magagawa kung walang political will at upang mapasailalaim uli sa state regulation and state control ang oil industry, including its prices," San Mateo said. Last March 11, thousands of people were left stranded on the streets during a transport holiday that saw the government deploy army vehicles and Metro Manila Development Authority buses that extended free rides to affected commuters. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV