ANGELES CITY – The militant Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide Central Luzon (Piston CL) called not for a hike on transport fare last Monday, May 12, but a stop to the continuous oil price hike in the country as it join its national center and other chapters and affiliates on a nationwide protest.

Their transport strike or 'Tigil Pasada' centered at the intersection of the Plaza Miranda by the San Nicolas Public market in this city held public transport for over an hour between 8:00 AM to 10: AM as it also condemned the incessant price hikes and the lack of government will in taking decisive steps against abusive foreign oil cartels.

"Teribli na! Sobra ne ing pamagtas ning krudu! Lalu da lang pandamusakan deng mangalati! (It's terrible! The oil price increases are just too much! The poor people are being trampled on even more!)," said Mang Poncing Infante, a long-time leader of Angeles - Pandan Jeepney Drivers Association, one of the 12 associations of this city's jeepney drivers said to be joining today's strike.

January's price of diesel was at P38 per liter, now it's almost P42 after the May 3 P1 per liter increase. Gasoline is now almost P50 per liter from P44 while the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices now ranges from P600 – P615 from around P540 - 560 at yearstart.

Angie Ladera, Chairperson of the Workers Alliance in Region III (WAR III) Piston CL's 'Tigil Pasada' intended to strongly register the common drivers' and the region's masses ever growing discontent with Gloria Arroyo's regime, as it favors the oil multinational corporations more than the country's poor.

"One can't look for other evidence for these but the expanded value added tax (eVAT) and the oil deregulation law which punish the consuming public and rewards the oil cartels instead, plus Mrs. Arroyo being deaf-eared to the call of the basic sectors to halt the oil price hikes" Ladera added.

The militant Piston in a statement explained that as much as they would like to simply demand for a fare hike, but like the peasants, the workers and the great majority of the riding public; the jeepney and tricycle drivers, operators and their families live in the worst of times. Everyone much more the marginalized sectors are affected by the unceasing upsurge in the pump prices of diesel, gasoline, kerosene and LPG in so short a time.

"It reduced earnings of most drivers by half while the prices of basic commodities skyrocketed. Drivers who used to take home a daily net earning of P400-500 for this same period last year have to make do with P200 – 300 a day," Ladera avowed.

Nilo Malit, a jeepney driver of Friendship – Hi-way Route said from P500 an average day since last January, he now drives extra two to three hours just so he can bring home at least P300 to his wife and three children, ages 15, 9 and 7.

Even more worrying according to the drivers are the advance pronouncements of the three major oil companies, Shell, Caltex and Petron that even with the P1/week increases in oil prices up to mid-June, there are price hikes may continue beyond the said period because of the "unpredictable and rapidly moving up prices" in the world market as well as their "under-recoveries losses" of P7 from these increases.

The province's 'Tigil Pasada" drew the support of the jeepney routes of Angeles City- San Fernando; Angeles City-Balibago; Aneles City-Sapang Bato; Magalang and Arayat-Angeles City; Marisol, Hensonville, Pandan, Madapdap and Bulaon routes; plus five tricycle associations from Pandacaque, Madapdap and Mabaog in Porac.

Ladera said they hail Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran's filing of House Bill 1724 for the junking of the oil deregulation law, and the repeal of RA 8479 or the downstream oil deregulation law although the congress have yet to pay it a minute of attention since since the 12th congress.

Piston CL also condemned the threat posed by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board against drivers who will participate in the strike.

"Drivers who have long been bearing the direct effects of oil price hikes have all the right to participate in the nationwide strike, and the government should not resort in bullying tactics to intimidate drivers who are only out to fight for their right to live." Ladera closed.