Groups hold lightning rally at Pandacan oil depot

MANILA, Philippines - Members of consumer group, Strike The Hike, and militant organization Bayan will picket Tuesday at the Pandacan oil depot in Manila to protest the fresh oil price increases.

The militant groups said their lightning rally today is part of their campaign against oil price increases and privatization organized by the Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Koalisyon ng Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan.

Oil firms Chevron, Shell and Petron increased by prices of their diesel by 75 centavos per liter, gasoline by P1.60 per liter and kerosene by P1 per liter. The latest price hikes were implemented 6 a.m. today.

The groups said that the campaign serves as a major build-up activity onwards the giant rally on President Benigno Aquino III’s 4th State of the Nation Address on July 22.

Based on the computation of Strike. The Hike, oil prices already increased nine times since last January, reaching an accumulated increase of P5.85 per liter for diesel products and P5.45 per liter for gasoline products.

The group attributed the non-stop increases to the privatization and deregulation schemes that are being implemented by the Aquino administration.

"The continuing increases of fuel disprove claims that globalization schemes will make prices cheaper and that it will benefit the majority of our population. Clearly, privatization and price deregulation already exposed itself to be anti-consumers and pro-big and foreign businesses," said Mark Louie Aquino, convenor of Strike The Hike.

"The only key to stop the endless increases of oil and all our other basic commodities, services and utilities will be the nationalization of our vital industries and price regulation.

"In terms of lowering oil prices, the Aquino government must junk Oil Deregulation Law which allows oil companies to increase prices freely and must scrap the 12 percent Value Added Tax on fuel products," he added.