By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The militant group in the transport industry shall file its petition next week for a nationwide one peso jeepney fare increase to help the drivers, operators and the people cope with the unabated price increases on oil products.

Leaders of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide or PISTON appealed to the commuters to be considerate.

“Daytoy a petisyon me idiay LTFRB ket tapnu makarung-aw dagiti pamilya mi iti kinanayun a panagngato ti presyo ti lana ken dagiti kangrunaan a gagatangen (Our petition to the LTFRB if approved will allow relief for our families and help pad the continued rise in the price of oil and basic commodities.), said Lito Wayas, PISTON spokesperson in this city.

Instead of their income being brought home to their families, it is instead being taken by oil companies due to the arbitrary oil price increases which he claimed is overpriced by P9 per liter and 12% EVAT per liter or P5 taken by the government.

Wayas claimed that jeepney drivers use at least 25 liters of diesel per day and with the P9 overpriced per liter, they are robbed by these oil companies of P225 per day off their meager income.

“While we urge PNoy to address the overpriced oil products, we also call for an increase of jeepney fare for our family,” said Wayas, who is also a barangay kagawad.

Also in an interview, George San Mateo, PISTON national president, said that their petition is different from other groups who call for P2 fare increase.

“Our petition for one peso increase in jeepney fare is applicable nationwide and not only for selected areas,” he said.

Other groups like the 1–UTAK, Fejodap, Altodap and ACTO are petitioning for a P2 increase in jeepney fare applicable only in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and CALABARZON.

San Mateo claims that the P2 call is divisive.

“Oil price increases affects all areas in the Philippines, not only in the three areas where they want the P2 to be effected. In fact prices in the remote areas in the Philippines are higher by P5 per liter,” he said.

PISTON has been calling for the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law of 1999 and the nationalization of the oil industry to address the manipulation of prices and end the oil cartel by the big oil companies.

There has been fifteen price increases on oil since Pres. Benigno Aquino III took over as president in June 2010. # nordis.net