Piston holds protest caravan

The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operaytors Nationwide (Piston) held a protest caravan yesterday in Metro Manila to denounce the Oil Deregulation Law, even as government officials were meeting with transport groups over a possible increase in fares.

According to Piston president Mar Garvida, their group decided not to join the meeting between government officials and other transport groups at the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

Garvida said that what Piston really is the lowering of prices of oil products, which will not to be tackled during the meeting.

Piston trooped in front of the offices of the oil companies yesterday to push to repeal the Oil Deregulation Law.

According to reports, almost half of the transport sector in the Caloocan, Malabon and Valenzuela area and some parts of Metro Manila were disrupted due to the transport caravan.

The transport group demanded an oil rollback and a wage increase of P125 to all  workers.

Garvida said having a new fare increase is not a long-term solution to the problem of the transport  sector, but a short-term solution that the government is using in order to keep the transport groups quiet and convince them not to stage another transport strike.

"The increase in fares will only benefit us for one month. The better solution would be is to junk the Oil Deregulation Law," Garvida said.

He said even if they are given a new fare increase, the major oil companies will not stop increasing their oil products due to the Oil Deregulation Law.

The transport group leader also said that if the fare increase is granted, the fare hike would only burden commuters.     

Earlier, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza  ordered the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to immediately resolve the fare increase petition of the transport groups.

It was said that the ruling on the impending fare is set to be released before the month ends.