PUV drivers, operators march to Mendiola on last day of strike

Transport group MANIBELA marched from Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City to Mendiola in Manila on Friday, marking the final day of their three-day transport strike against high fuel prices.

MANIBELA chairperson Mar Valbuena said protesters are calling for the suspension of excise tax and value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products and a rollback in pump prices.

“Magmamartsa po kami papuntang Mendiola para malapit-lapit na sa ating Pangulo na ipanawagan na isuspend ang excise tax, ang value-added tax, at i-roll back ang presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo doon sa nararapat na presyo nito,” he told GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(We will march to Mendiola to get closer to our President to call for the suspension of the excise tax, the value-added tax and the rollback of the price of petroleum products to their proper price.)

“Dahil alam naman natin na noong unang linggo pa lamang ng bugso ng tensyon sa Gitnang Silangan ay talagang sobra-sobra na yung pagtataas nito,” he added.

(Because we know that in the first week of the surge in tension in the Middle East, it was already escalating too much.)

Valbuena called out oil companies that raised prices early despite having existing stockpiles.

He also questioned government fuel assistance programs, saying these were insufficient and not widely accessible to affected drivers.

Valbuena said the promised fuel discounts for PUVs have not been fully implemented and some selected gas stations are not even aware of the program.

“Kahapon, may nagkarga doon sa sinasabi nilang gasolinahan. Wala namang binigay na diskwento kasi hindi daw nila alam,” he said.

(Yesterday, someone filled up at what they called a gas station. They didn't give any discounts because they said they didn't know.)

While acknowledging the government’s service contracting program, Valbuena said its implementation remains limited and there are still unpaid obligations from the previous deals.

“Sa service contracting, alanganin po talaga kasi marami pa po talaga ang hindi nabayaran at noong mga nakaraan pa. At dapat yun, masingil muna bago kami mag-abono na naman ulit,” he said.

(In service contracting, it's really difficult because there are still many unpaid bills, and those were in the past. And those should be billed first before we start paying again.)

Valbuena pointed out that suspending fuel taxes would benefit not only transport workers but also commuters and private motorists by helping stabilize fares and reduce the prices of basic goods.

Despite the ongoing global oil price increase, the MANIBELA chairperson noted that other countries have managed similar situations by adjusting taxes to ease the impact on the people. —Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA News