Transport strike in Bicol today

LEGAZPI CITY – A regionwide strike of public utilitity vehicles is set today in Bicol’s mainland provinces to demand for a big-time rollback by the giant oil companies on the prices of the petroleum products even as crude prices for a barrel to a dollar have already drastically dropped in the world market.

Joel Ascutia, Bicol chapter secretary-general of the Condor-Piston, the biggest public transport umbrella, called on the public to support their mass protest so that big oil dealers would finally realize that it is already high time to effect a big-time rollback of up to P9 per liter, or at the prices when the series of hikes had not yet been effected. 

“It’s time for these big oil players to rollback the petroleum prices since oil prices in the international market had already dropped to as slow as $45-a-barrel, Ascutia said in the dialect. 

Ascutia also called on Malacañang, particularly President Arroyo to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law that was approved during the term of former President Fidel Ramos. 

“President Arroyo should already interfere in this problem, or else the transport sector would construe such indifference as intentional so as not to sacrifice government revenues out of the oil’s 12 percent expanded value-added tax (EVAT),” Ascutia said in the dialect. 

The transport official said they cannot yet afford a rollback in transportation fares since the oil rollback has not yet gone to its original price.

“We really wish to effect a rollback in fares because we, ourselves,and our families are also passengers themselves,” Ascutia further said. 

Despite the set transport strike, however, most schools here, did not yet make any announcement of suspension of their classes until press time. Even police authorities at Camp General Simeon Ola believed that the transport strike should be left alone as this is an expression of their redress of grievance.

“Let them alone hold their transport strike. That’s what they think is right,” Senior Superintendent Eleazar Bron, Bicol police spokesman, told The STAR.

The local government officials and other agencies have yet to plan out their contingent plans in case the condition turns bad and the safety of the passengers is grossly affected.

The strike is expected to be participated by passenger jeepneys and buses, vans and tricycles.