Panay group holds transport protect action

ILOILO CITY, Philippines - In support of their fellow members in other parts of the country, the Panay group of the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) held a transport protest action the other day.

Edgar Salarda, regional coordinator for PISTON-Panay, said they had a protest action in front of Plazoleta Gay at downtown Iloilo City.

Similar activity was also done in Bacolod City and Roxas City, but unlike in Metro Manila and some other provinces, PISTON-Panay members did not have a transport holiday.

Salarda earlier announced that their members would continue plying their routes. Even without the transport holiday, they would make sure that their complaints are heard by the appropriate agency of the government, he said.

PISTON-Panay's protest action was joined by groups such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Panay. Among the different transport groups in the country, it was only PISTON that went on with the planned transport strike.

Other groups deferred the planned transport holiday after a talk with President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

Transport strikers have been pressuring the government to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law, remove the eVAT on oil and basic commodities and an urgent P9 per liter rollback in petroleum products prices.

PISTON leaders said localized protests will move for the prosecution of oil companies for excessive and unjust profiteering.

PISTON earlier stood by its vow to pursue the strike, as they slammed the lack of concrete promises from the Palace on easing up the burden being experienced by public utility drivers brought about by high fuel prices.

The group claims to have around 200,000 members across the country, 50,000 of which are in Metro Manila. Despite its big numbers, however, authorities said the transport holiday has not affected Metro Manila. - THE FREEMAN