3-day nationwide transport strike vs corruption starts

Transport group Manibela on Wednesday started its three-day transport strike against corruption following reports of anomalous flood control projects in the government.

Manibela president Mar Valbuena and members of Manibela gathered around Philcoa in Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City around 7 a.m. 

“Sa bawat buwis na inaambag natin mula sa fuel pa lamang…bawat litro ng langis na kinakarga natin sa ating sasakyan, may kaakibat itong value added tax at excise tax na saan P500 a day, P15,000 sa isang buwan, P180,000 sa isang taon ang inaambag natin sa kaban ng bayan,” Valbuena said. 

(For(For every tax we contribute from fuel alone…for every liter of fuel products we load in our vehicles, there is a value-added tax or excise tax, which is P500 a day, P15,000 a month, or P180,000 a year that we contribute to the public treasury.)

“Pero anong ginagawa ng mga kontraktor na ito at mga opisyales ng gobyerno? Pinagka-casino lang. Pinangangalandakan yung kanilang mga luho na galing sa nakaw, sa pera ng taumbayan,” he added. 

(But what are these contractors and government officials doing? They are just playing casino games. They are flaunting their luxuries that came from plundering the people’s money.)

Franchise

Manibela also called for the government to reinstate the five-year franchise of traditional jeepneys amid its modernization program. 

Aside from Manibela, another transport group Pistom is set to stage a strike against corruption on Thursday. 

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has called for an investigation into anomalous flood control projects. 

Several government agencies, as well as the Senate and the House of Representatives, have launched their respective investigations. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News