MANIBELA to hold 3-day strike starting April 15

Transport group MANIBELA will hold a nationwide three-day strike from April 15 to April 17 as fuel prices remain high, its chairperson Mar Valbuena said Monday.

“Hanggang Biyernes, idinedeklara natin ang isang malaking transport strike kung saan magsasama-sama ang iba-ibang transport entities, ang MANIBELA at ang iba pang transport group,” he said in a press conference.

(Until Friday, we are declaring a major transport strike where various transport entities, MANIBELA, and other transport groups will come together.)

He said the strike is a protest against what he described as government inaction.

“Pagkondena ito sa kapabayaan ng pamahalaan, lalo na ng DOE at ng DOTr, at pakikipagsabwatan sa mga oil companies na nakinabang ng bilyong piso,” he added.

(This is a condemnation of the government’s negligence, especially of the DOE and the DOTr, and its alleged collusion with oil companies that have earned billions of pesos.)

Valbuena said an estimated 500,000 jeepneys and other vehicles are expected to join the strike.

The group also said a protest will be held in Philcoa, Quezon City.

Valbuena called for a rollback of petroleum prices to P55 per liter, and for the suspension of the value-added tax and excise tax on fuel.

“Dapat itong buwan na ito, itong linggo na ito, dapat nang i-roll back sa P55 ang presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo,” he said.

(This month, this week, the price of petroleum products should already be rolled back to P55.)

Over the weekend, the Department of Energy said pump prices of diesel may decrease by P20.89 per liter, gasoline by P4.43 per liter, and kerosene by P8.50 per liter this week.

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said fuel prices may no longer return to P60 per liter due to structural impacts of the Middle East conflict.

Not the time for transport strike

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said it is not the time to hold a transport strike amid the continuing tension in the Middle East, adding that what should be done is to have negotiations and help one another.

''At sa atin po ngayon, sa ating palagay, ang pagho-hold ng transport strike ay hindi napapanahon sa ngayon. Hindi po ito makakatulong sa dinaranas po natin dulot ng krisis sa Middle East. Ang kinakailangan po lamang talaga dito ay negosasyon, pag-uusap, pagtutulungan,'' she said. 

(For us, it's not the time to hold a transport strike. This won't help ease our burden with what's happening in the Middle East. What we need right now is negotiation, talks, and cooperation.)

Amid calls to suspend the value-added tax on petroleum products, Castro explained that President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has no power to do it as there is no law giving him that authority. 

''Wala pong kapangyarihan ang Pangulo na mag-suspend ng VAT dahil wala pong batas sa ngayon na siya ay binibigyan ng kapangyarihan. So baka nagkakaroon po ng misconception, at ngayon ay baka nakakarating sa mga transport sectors, sa mga drivers, sa operators na sa isang click ay masu-suspend ng Pangulo ang VAT,'' Castro said.

(The President has no power to suspend VAT as there's no law giving him the power to do so. Maybe there's misconception that in a snap the President could suspend VAT.)

''Wala pong kapangyarihan sa ngayon ang Pangulo na mag-suspend or mag-reduce ng VAT dahil wala pong batas na siya ay binibigyan patungkol dito,'' she reiterated.

(The President has no power yet to suspend or reduce VAT because there's no law yet regarding that.)

The country could lose over P320 billion in revenue if the government suspends the VAT, Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said earlier.

Lacson said further study is needed to determine if suspending VAT would be a good decision since it could also affect the country’s economy.—MCG/AOL, GMA News