TRANSPORT groups Manibela and Piston will stage another three-day transport strike starting today, April 21, as the groups push for further fuel price rollbacks and press the government for stronger relief amid the energy crisis.
Manibela held a strike from April 15 to 17 over high oil prices and what it described as government inaction.
Manibela Chairman Mar Valbuena said recent rollbacks were not enough, and that fuel prices should be slashed to about P50 to P60 per liter because that was the “real price” of fuel.
Valbuena reiterated the group’s call to remove value-added tax (VAT) and excise tax on diesel and gasoline products, saying drivers were still being crushed by high operating costs.
Piston said the April 21 action would form part of a broader “Protestang Bayan” against war, high prices and poverty.
In its statement, the group accused the Marcos administration of failing to respond adequately to the crisis and blamed rising fuel prices and other economic burdens for worsening the hardship faced by drivers and ordinary Filipinos.
Manibela said it would proceed with the new three-day strike despite two successive fuel price rollbacks, insisting that drivers still needed more substantial intervention from the government.
The Marcos administration has suspended taxes on kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas, while discussions on gasoline and diesel taxes remained under review.
The fuel price rollbacks continue for the second week as the global oil market reacted to the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
Diesel was down by P24.94 per liter, gasoline by P3.41 per liter, and kerosene P2 per liter.
