News Update PISTON to begin picket to protest new fuel price hikes

PISTON (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide) will start a series of protests Wednesday morning against higher fuel prices by staging a picket at the Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. headquarters in Makati City. “Start po ‘yan ng series of protests actions ng PISTON at allies namin. May gine-gear din po kaming nationwide protest kung saan pwedeng makasama ang tigil-pasada sa mga aksyon,” PISTON secretary-general George San Mateo told GMA News in a telephone interview. “Sa ngayon, wala pang tigil-pasada, pero natatanaw namin ‘yun,” San Mateo noted. He claimed that the oil price hike was sudden and uncalled for, and only serves to benefit the government and oil companies. “Unang-una, wala pang nagaganap na kaguluhan, wala pang supply disruption,” San Mateo noted. Higher petroleum prices place a heavy burden on public utility drivers, according to the transportation leader. “Sa mga tsuper ng jeepney at taxi kasi, sila ang nagbabayad ng panggatong nila at nababawasan ang pang-uwi nila sa mga pamilya nila,” San Mateo noted that on average jeepney drivers consume 30 liters a day, and if the price increase is implemented starting Wednesday, their earnings will drop by P45 per day. Because of rising tensions in the Middle East and the Gulf region, petroleum companies will again impose a fuel price increase at 12:01 Wednesday. Pump prices of diesel will go up by P1.53 per liter and by P1.93 for gasoline after world crude prices rose by $5 to $6 per barrel. This is the second time the price of oil has increased since the start of the year. Geopolitical tensions In an interview on GMA New’s 24 Oras,” Energy Undersecretary Jay Layug attributed the increase to the tensions in the Middle East. “The only reason in fact ay ‘yung geopolitical tension sa Middle East. Ito ho ‘yung nagdudulot ng pangamba. Buong mundo po tinatamaan ng pagtaas ng presyo po ngayon.” With 80 percent of Philippine petroleum coming from the Middle East, the Energy Department is considering the possibility of rationing fuel should tensions in the Middle East escalate and disrupt the supply chain. “Sa contingency plan po natin, tinitignan natin kung sino ho lang ‘yung mabibigyan ng supply at bibigyan nating priority. Halimbawa po, for emergency cases. At the same time, ‘yung public transport po, kailangan bigyan ho natin ng prioridad,” Layug added. “Nananakot ang DOE ng oil rationing. Yun ang di naming matanggap,” San Mateo noted. Other transport groups have also expressed concerns regarding the latest increase in fuel prices. “Nalulungkot po ako sapagkat wala ho kaming ibang pamamaraan kundi magtaas na rin ng pamasahe gawa nga ho ng pagtataas ng presyo ng petrolyo,” said Obet Martin, national president of transportation group Pasang Masda. Meanwhile, Boy Vargas, national President of the Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines said, “Sa panig naming, dapat ma-monitor lang talaga, ‘wag lang maging over talaga ‘yung pagtaas.” The transport groups also want government to act. Lando Marquez, national president of Liga ng Transportasyon at Operators sa Pilipinas, said, “Una, modernization, re-powering, wala. ‘Yung single ticketing system na ayusin ng MMDA atsaka DILG, hanggang ngayon, wala. So itong mga kotong, kolorum, nandiyan binabantayan pa ng mga… traffic enforcer.” — VS