STAREX plans transport strike

April 11, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

AMID the series of oil price hikes, a local transportation group is now mulling plans to stage transport strikes for the failure of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration to arrest the soaring fuel prices and cushion its impact on the public.

Solidarity Transportation Alliance Region X (STAREX) chairperson Armand Naul said their organization will be meeting this Saturday to evaluate the series of oil price hikes vis-à-vis Arroyo’s moves to lessen these oil increases and alleviate the poverty of the transport sector.

He said one of the agenda is the possibility of staging a transport strike to manifest their objections to the inability of the Arroyo administration to arrest price hikes dictated by the Big Three Oil Companies in the country – Caltex, Petron and Shell.

“We will be holding a proper consultation with our member-groups this Saturday. We will finalize all our plans by then,” he said in the dialect.

STAREX is an umbrella coalition of a number of operators, drivers and conductors from various local PUJ, motorelas, vans plying city and provincial routes.

Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB-10) regional director Mandangan Darimbang for his part said STAREX can peacefully and legally conduct a transport strike.

“That is part of their organization’s rights,” he said.

The average domestic retail price of gasoline increased by 24 percent, rising from P35.75 per liter in January 2007 to P44.45 per liter in January 2008 while the average domestic diesel prices grew by 21 percent over the same period, from P31.75 per liter in January 2007 to P38.45 per liter in January 2008.

Last February and March 2008, domestic diesel prices again skyrocketed and it is expected to increase further this April 2008 as these oil companies already announced that it is losing a lot due to the rising cost of oil in the world market.

STAREX is expected to be joined by Bayan and other militant groups who are supporting the call for the lifting of the 12 percent Value-Added Tax (VAT).

In a statement, the group explained how the VAT lifting is the best remedy for the current economic ills of PUJ drivers as it can immediately bring down the pump prices by at least P4.00 per liter across various petroleum products and not only diesel.

Its study reported how LPG cost could go down by around P59.00 per ordinary 11 kg cylinder tank.

“As a result, the daily income of our PUJ drivers could go up by around P123 and that of tricycle drivers by P19.00. Small fishers could expect an increase in their income of as much as P49.00 per fishing trip,” the statement reads.

For the group, these three sectors alone represent around 1.72 million people, excluding members of their families who also rely on their income.

However, Naul clarified that they will not be filing a petition at Darimbang’s office to raise the present P6.50 minimum PUJ fare.

“We will not file for a fare increase but we will wait for the LTFRB-Manila’s decision on the petition filed by their national organization for a fare increase,” he said.

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Written by Lizanilla Amarga · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro