MANILA, Philippines - As transport and cause-oriented groups led by Piston (Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytors Nationwide) gear up for Thursday's nationwide strike against the value added tax (VAT) on oil and the Oil Deregulation Law, Malacanang on Wednesday warned the groups that they would “face the consequences” if something troublesome happens during their protest action.
“We always have maintained that this is a franchise. This is a privilege, not a right. You have to be responsible for your actions,” Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“If you do participate, you will have to face the consequences if any untoward incident happens,” he added.
Lacierda said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would field 30 buses on Thursday to address a possible trasport shortage. Additional vehicles will also be deployed by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“We are prepared for the transport strike tomorrow. The MMDA, AFP, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Philippine National Police are all ready to provide assistance, making sure that the public will not be inconvenienced by the transport strike,” he said.
“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,” Lacierda added.
The MMDA will set up a command center as early as 3 a.m. on Thursday, according to Lacierda.
Transport groups are urging the government to remove, suspend, or reduce the VAT oil or repeal the Oil Deregulation Law.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said removing the VAT on oil would provide direct and immediate benefits to some 426,000 jeepney drivers, 581,000 tricycle drivers, and 8.6 million households that use cooking gas.
Removing the VAT will lead to a reduction of oil prices by P6 to P7 a liter, according to Reyes.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it would be up to local school officials if they would suspend classes due to the strike.
“We are not recommending the suspension of classes so may pasok po tayo bukas [we have classes tomorrow],” said DepEd Undersecretary for Regional Operations Rizalino Rivera.
“Local government units will take the lead since they are the ones in the field, who know how to assess the situation if there is a need to suspend classes or not due to the transport strike,” he added.
Rivera said DepEd had already directed its regional, division and city and schools superintendents to coordinate with local officials in assessing the situation, especially if public transport would be totally paralyzed. In such situation, local education officials can already recommend class suspension, he said.
In Metro Manila, the DepEd-National Capital Region is coordinating with the MMDA to ensure that public transport will not be affected and teachers and students can report to classes without disruption, according to Rivera.
The DepEd is part of the inter-agency Task Force on Transport Strike and Mass Actions headed by the MMDA in Metro Manila. In the provinces, it is the Department of the Interior and Local Government that leads the task force.
Piston national president George San Mateo said only a transport caravan would take place in Metro Manila to dramatize the group's opposition to the continued increase in oil prices.
San Mateo said the caravan would assemble at 8 a.m. in front of the National Housing Authority office at the Quezon City Elliptical Circle before proceeding to the offices of the “Big 3” oil firms in Makati.
At 5 p.m., San Mateo said Piston would be joined by Anakpawis, League of Filipino Students, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other organizations in another mass action at Welcome Rotunda, Mendiola and near the Pandacan oil depot in Manila.
Simultaneous mass actions will also be held in Isabela, Baguio City, Laguna, Bicol, Iloilo City, Panay, Cebu, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Cagayan De Oro, Davao City, General SantosCity and the Caraga region.
source: interaksyon.com
