The appalling situation of the different sectors in the public transport industry cannot be denied. For years, it has endured the various infuriating traffic management schemes of MMDA in Metro Manila and numerous other traffic rules of the LTO and the LGUs. More ruthless is the fact that prices of diesel and gasoline have skyrocketed by more than 100% since last year, adversely affecting our daily income while prices of basic commodities surge relentlessly.
Now, with the imposition of the expanded value added tax (E-VAT), which will further send oil prices to unprecedented heights, the National Transportworkers Union-Alliance of Progressive Labor (NTU-APL) and other fraternal organized transport groups in key cities nationwide is compelled to hold paralyzing activities such as a nationwide transport strike.
We have been pushed to the limits. We held dialogues with the government to find workable solutions in resolving traffic altercations but nothing happened since authorities would still implement arbitrary traffic rules to our utter dismay and public inconvenience. And with the imposition of E-VAT, we have marked November 14 as the day where we will make the government listen to our voice and act favorably on our demands.
Last April, transport groups held a transport strike for a fare rate increase. Although realized, the NTU-APL would like to point out that fare rate increase is not the primary solution to the problems besetting the transport industry. In fact, it will only worsen the situation of the riding public, as they will shoulder the burden of the additional fare increases. Ever since, it has been our position that the real issue is the continuous implementation of the oil deregulation law, which for almost a decade now has not encouraged real competition since the oil cartels continue to dominate and control crude oil prices in the local and world market.
The government has been taking for granted if not completely ignoring the plight of the different sectors in the transport industry. The Malacañang and its corresponding transport agencies should focus their energies on helping the transport sector and their families affected by the government's policies, instead of coming up with punitive measures that punish transport workers.
The present predicament of the Arroyo government can be rooted out to its inability to uplift and advance the interests of the Filipino people, which include the sectors in the transport industry. This government will not last if it continues to ignore our demands of scrapping E-vat and oil deregulation, aside from presenting a viable alternative energy plan and effectively resolving its urban planning strategy.
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