No hike petition yet from transport groups, DOTC chief says

Public transport groups, apparently appeased by the government's commitment against the road user's tax, have so far not filed for an increase in their fares despite the latest round of oil price hikes.

Secretary Vicente Rivera Jr. of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) disclosed during the President's weekly radio-TV program that there was yet no petition for a fare increase. And though the transport strike originally set for tomorrow may have all but fizzled out due to the backing down of moderate groups, President Estrada continued to appeal to the militant public transport groups to call off their planned nationwide strike on March 30.

The militant groups seem bent on pushing through with their strike at month's end to protest the average 80-centavo hike in pump prices and Congress' passing of the road user's tax bill.

The President recognized the transport groups' right to strike, but said the move would be counter-productive.

"I recognize and respect their right to protest the oil price hikes. But I am also asking them, if it is possible, not to push through with it. Transport strikes are not the solution to our problems," Mr. Estrada said.

"I assure our people that their fears of rising prices of basic goods will not happen. While we cannot stop completely the increase in oil prices because these are tied to prices of crude oil in the world market, we have shown that our inflation rate ... is still the lowest," he pointed out.

The President further cited the economy, as well as agriculture, continued to grow, so that there was no reason to panic, especially now that the government was taking steps to protect the people from adverse developments in the global economy.

"This is not incidental. These are the fruits of our vigorous implementation of our Angat Pinoy program which is the master plan for the development of our economy for the next five years," he said.

Mr. Estrada issued the appeal even as he secured the assurance of the larger group of public transport leaders that they have already called off their strike tomorrow after being informed of Congress' approval of reduced rates and staggered implementation of the controversial road user's tax.

The President was assured of a "no strike Monday" by public transport leaders headed by Romy Maranan, president of the Confederation of Land Transportation Association of the Philippines (COLTAP), who met with him at Malacañang last Friday.

Rivera, who was present during that meeting, said yesterday that government land transportation agencies have not received any petitions for a fare hike from the transport groups.

The transportation secretary said the transport leaders responded positively to the President's appeals for them to call off their mass action tomorrow.

Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora told The STAR yesterday the President will sign into law the road user's tax bill, with the reduced increase in the motor vehicle registration rates as revised by the Bicameral Conference Committee.

The increase was lowered from the original 500 percent to just 100 percent, to be implemented over four years, or a 25 percent hike per year.

Mr. Estrada earlier threatened to veto the bill if Congress did not reduce the rates of increase.

Maranan told Palace reporters that COLTAP, with a membership of 1.5 million nationwide, including the 350,000-strong Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEDJODAP), has decided to abandon the planned nationwide mass action tomorrow.

Maranan, however, admitted that the more militant public transport groups such as PISTON (Pinagkaisahang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operaytor Nationwide) will proceed with their strike on March 30 with student and labor groups as well as left-leaning organizations.

"We have asked for precautionary measures from Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim to secure those public transport drivers who will ply their routes," Maranan said.

Meanwhile, another militant group, the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), said they will pursue their wage struggle in Congress even as Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma argued that the recent oil price increases did not warrant an automatic wage increase.

BMP spokesman Wilson Fortaleza said that confronted by this burgeoning economic and oil crises, "workers have no other option but to ask for another round of wage increases."

Tomorrow, some 2,000 members of the BMP and the multisectoral group Sanlakas will troop to Congress to demand the scrapping of the oil deregulation law and to press their demand for a wage increase through the enactment of the "living wage bill."

The two groups are throwing their support behind the oil exchange bill of Rep. Enrique Garcia and the living wage bill, or HB 8762, filed by Rep. James Jacob last year.