Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno, together with other sectoral organizations, welcomed the announcement of a transport strike on Sept. 19 with a noise barrage in various areas in Metro Manila today.
Various transport groups, led by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston) announced the holding of a transport strike in a press conference in Quezon City this morning.
Piston said the transport strike will push through despite the dialogue held by Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III with transport groups yesterday, since the president did not make any concrete promises on the issue of oil prices.
“We are glad that the transport strike will push through on Sept. 19. It will be an immense boost to the people’s protests against the overpricing of petroleum products which will be held on that day,” said Lito Ustarez, KMU vice-chairperson.
“Pres. Aquino ignored the calls not only of the transport sector but of the workers and poor people as well for an immediate relief from the high and still increasing prices of petroleum products,” he said.
“He did not act on our calls for a stop to the overpricing of oil products, an immediate big-time rollback of P9.00, the scrapping of the VAT on oil products, and the junking of the Oil Deregulation Law,” he added.
Call to the public, drivers
In the noise barrage protests held in Philcoa, Quezon City and in Sta. Mesa and Divisoria in Manila, huge streamers with the call “Lumahok sa Tigil-Pasada” were unfurled.
“We are calling on workers and the public to support the transport strike. The transport strike is also for us. With the connivance of the Aquino government, the Big 3 oil companies have been robbing us blind of our hard-earned income through overpricing and monopoly-pricing,” Ustarez said.
“We are also calling on the members of transport groups whose leaders backed out of the transport strike: stand up against the Aquino government and the Big 3 who have been denying your families of your hard-earned income. Join us in the transport strike,” he added. Lito Ustarez, KMU Vice Chairperson
