PHL braces for nationwide strike by labor, transport groups

The Philippine government failed to sway labor and transportation groups from staging a nationwide strike Thursday in protest of soaring petroleum prices, prompting the Department of Education on Wednesday to defer to local governments the decision to suspend classes in their respective localities.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Francis Tolentino tried but failed to convince the transport groups to abort their strike, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a briefing in Malacañang.

“Mukhang hindi po magpapapigil… ang mga transport groups… And so, in the alternative, we are preparing for the contingencies,” the Palace official said.

Labor and transport groups will hold a protest action against higher pump prices of petroleum products and call for the scrapping of the expanded value-added tax on oil.

As of Tuesday, pump prices of diesel ranges from P45.70 to P48.70 and P54.35 to P61.02 for gasoline, according to the Department of Energy.

Call for oil price rollback

The transport sector wants oil companies to roll back diesel prices by P9 per liter and gasoline by P10, said Piston president George San Mateo.

To help stabilize petroleum product prices, the transport sector reiterated its position that  government should scrap the 12-percent e-VAT on petroleum products.

Malacañang and the Energy Department must protect the public in the face of rise oil prices in the international market, according to Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) and Philippine Airlines Employees Association.

“The government has options to mitigate the impact of oil price movements and adjust the current level of wages by granting Labor groups’ petitions for wage increase,” said PM chair Gerry Rivera.

Apart from Metro Manila, simultaneous protest actions will be held Thursday in the following cities:

• Bacolod in Negros Occidental
• Baguio in the Cordillera Administrative Region
• Butuan in Agusan del Sur
• Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental
• Cebu
• Davao
• Dumaguete in Negros Oriental
• General Santos in South Cotabato
• Iloilo in Iloilo province
• Legaspi in Albay
• Mandaue in Cebu
• Roxas in Capiz
• San Pedro in Laguna
• Santiago in Isabela.

DepEd lets LGUs suspend clases

To ease the plight of commuters, particularly students and employees, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will deploy 15 buses and ferry those who would be stranded should the strike escalate.

The Philippine Army will have 40 trucks plying the streets of Metro Manila and offer free rides to commuters.

The Department of Education on Wednesday said local governments will have to make their respective decisions on suspending classes.

“As per agreement in the TRASMA [Presidential Task Force on Transport Strike and Mass Action] meeting, LGUs shall take the lead in suspending classes tomorrow should there be a need to do so,” DepEd tweeted.

As of Wednesday night, only the cities of Quezon, Parañaque and San Juan announced that classes would be suspended Thursday at all levels, except for Quezon City.

Quezon City cancelled classes in both public and private schools — both high school and elementary levels — saying the decision to suspended classes at the tertiary level would be up to the respective institutions.

Far Eastern University confirmed that its campuses in the cities of Manila, Makati and Quezon would be closed.

Piston said a transport protest caravan will converge around 7 a.m. along Quezon City’s Elliptical Road before heading for the office of oil firm Chevron on Ayala Avenue in Makati where they will hold a protest rally.

Still,  MMDA said the number coding scheme remains in place in Metro Manila.

Govt is ready

Malacañang said government is ready for the transport strike and urged the protesters, particularly transportation franchise owners to “be responsible.”

“Franchise is a privilege, not a right… If you do participate, you will have to face the consequences if any untoward incident happens,” said Lacierda.

“We hope also that those who will participate in the transport strike will not cause harm to the riding public or to threaten or to prevent them from going about their daily business tomorrow,” he added.

The MMDA will set up a command center at 3 a.m. Thursday to “ensure that the public will not be prejudiced by the transport strike,” said the Palace official.

With the MMDA and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are the Department of Public Works and Highways and Philippine National Police to help commuters that will be affected the strike.

Lacierda told reporters in Wednesday’s briefing the position of government on EVAT stays, as the 12-percent tax  on oil is a necessary source of fund. “The taxes are really needed. While the circumstances at that time when it was imposed are different now, we need it to continue to fund our programs.”

“We need to continue to build a revenue base rather than go backwards. This way, our cost of borrowing will continue to go down, creating more space for social investment,” he added, citing the argument of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.” —AMITA O. LEGASPI and ROUCHELLE R. DINGLASAN, GMA NEWS with Rouchelle Dinglasan/KBK/VS, GMA News