PMT group files complaint at DOJ ahead of Malacanang dialogue

Press Release

Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Tranportasyon

September 14, 2011

Transport group files complaint at DOJ ahead of Malacanang dialogue

Despite the price rollbacks of oil companies yesterday, around 100 members of the militant Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT) trooped to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila yesterday to file a complaint on overpricing and unreasonable price increases with the DOJ-DOE task force and demanded action within 30 days.

“Crude oil prices as of August 26, 2011 were more than $3 lower and the peso stronger by P1.50 against the dollar compared to levels in January 7, 2011 and yet average pump prices are higher by almost P5 for diesel and P6.50 for gasoline. This is an abomination. Local oil companies are clearly using speculative oil price news to cheat the Filipino people. And Malacanang is doing nothing to stop this.” said Victor Gonzales, National Vice-President of the PMT

“We cannot accept Malacanang’s declaration that they are helpless in the face of these obviously unreasonable price increases of petroleum products. The government has overused the much-hated Oil Deregulation Law (ODL) to shield themselves from accountability yet they have not made any effort to scrap the law. Much worse, they have not used mechanisms provided by this rotten law to protect the interest of the workers and masses, in general.” declared Gonzales.

Under Chapter IV Section 14 (d) of the ODL Any report from any person of an unreasonable rise in the prices of petroleum products shall be immediately acted upon. For this purpose, the creation of the DOE-DOJ Task Force is hereby mandated to determine within thirty (30) days the merits of the report and initiate the necessary actions warranted under the circumstance: Provided, That nothing herein shall prevent the said task force from investigating and/or filing the necessary complaint with the proper court or agency motu proprio.

“Investigations made by the DOJ-DOE task force are still “under study” which is a blatant violation of the law. Under the implementing rules and regulations of the ODL, any person who violates any provision of this ACT shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment of 3 months to 1 year. With this, members of Pnoy’s cabinet and even himself may be jailed even before Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.” added Gonzales.

“We want the task force to immediately act on our complaint as provided by the law. We want prices rolled back big time and these unscrupulous oil companies punished. More importantly, we want the ODL and Value-Added Tax on oil scrapped now. This is more than enough proof of its bankruptcy.” concluded Gonzales.

The leaders of the protesters went on to proceed to the dialogue organized by Malacanang but vowed continue with protest actions and the planned nationwide transport strike until their demands are met.###