Author Topic: Nationwide transport strike looms over fare, price hikes  (Read 756 times)

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Nationwide transport strike looms over fare, price hikes
« on: May 07, 2008, 07:22:55 PM »
The first and largest transport strike to be spearheaded by the biggest transport group – the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) – will be held this month to protest surging oil prices and lobby for the junking of the 12-percent expanded value added tax (EVAT).

PISTON secretary-general George San Mateo, in a press statement, said this will be the first time that transport holidays in the country will be joined by cooperative organizations and all kinds of public vehicles.

He said two groups had already committed to participate in the protest action, along with other transport organizations under the United Transport Koalisyon (1-UTAK).

San Mateo said they are in constant talks with transport group leaders like Zeny Maranan of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Associations of the Philippines (FEJODAP) to iron out the final date and issues to be tackled in the planned protest.

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes vowed he would not allow oil firms to impose “unreasonable prices” for their products.

While admitting the government cannot dictate the prices of fuel products under the oil deregulation law, Reyes said they would ask the oil firms to be more transparent and reasonable in implementing prices.

“The regime of high oil prices is a reality and the government will ensure that oil companies are in compliance with existing laws and regulations. We will not allow unreasonable pricing,” he said.

Reyes made the statement following a meeting with representatives of oil companies and other stakeholders held at the Department of Energy last Monday.

As an additional measure, Reyes said Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile is drafting an anti-trust law to prevent monopoly in the oil business.

“In the long-term, we are instituting measures that will lessen the country’s dependence on oil imports, such as pushing for the development and increased contribution of renewable energy to our energy mix,” he said.

During the meeting, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. country chairman Edgar Chua presented a cost breakdown of their products and enumerated the factors affecting prices.

The representatives of oil companies present during the meeting collectively claimed they have to impose the new increases for their “under-recovery” due to the continued increase in the price of crude and diesel in the international market.

This would explain the weekly increase of 50 centavos per liter in pump prices.

Chua added that based on a purely cost point of view, oil companies would need to recover an additional P6 per liter and more adjustments will be made in the coming weeks.

In estimating how much pump prices will increase, Chua said the competitive nature of the oil industry, as well as the sensitivity of the public, will be taken into consideration.

While oil companies are now occupied with breaking even in their operations, Chua said they are aware of their social responsibility to the public and the adverse effects of implementing a new round of increase.

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