ps - 092011 - english version

PRESS STATEMENT

September 20, 2011

Dante Lagman, President

Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon (PMT)

A question for MMDA Chairman Tolentino and Spokeperson Lacierda:

Which is worse? The inability to paralyze transport

or government inaction to the pleas of the people?

Palace spokesperson Lacierda and MMDA Chairman Tolentino are in a chorus. They say that the so-called transport strike was a “dud” because it failed to paralyze transport in the country.

But which is worse? The failure to paralyze transport? Or government failure to address spiraling oil prices and its paralysis on the people’s demand for oil regulation, a bigger and substantial rollback, and the removal of VAT on petroleum products?

Infinitely much worse is a government that is a willing and able accomplice to unjust and immoral profiteering by the oil industry. A government, which does not lift a finger to bring down oil prices because it collects more taxes, through VAT, in as much as prices increase in a deregulated market.

Was the recent “transport strike” a success or a failure? How do we measure a success of a strike (be it in transportation or in factories)? First, a strike must be able to paralyze the operations of a business. Second, as a consequence of the stoppage in the circulation of capital, the management gives in to the demands of the strikers, which could either be a partial or full concession to them.

Using these two conditions, we could say that the so-called “strike” was a failure. Even before September 19, the PMT knew that organized groups in the transport sector have not mustered enough strength and conviction to paralyze transport. In so doing, we called for a nationwide protest, not a strike, for the regulation and control of the oil industry.

This “mistake” of PISTON and Mateo is not a costly one; and could be justified. They probably used the term “transport strike”, more for propaganda than an actual call to paralyze transport, in order to highlight a just and moral demand that needs more attention in the mainstream media.

However, we openly declare that the so-called “transport strike” was a success. It popularized, on a nationwide scale, the demand to remove VAT on oil prices and to control oil prices. Because even the commuting public viewed the protests not as a nuisance but a legitimate expression of their discontent and disgust against the scandalous profiteering by oil companies.

Hence, we view the nationwide protest as a “break in”, a warm-up for an actual paralysis of transport in the coming period. More so, because oil companies had the gall to grant a pittance after today’s protest.A mere twenty centavo (P.20) per litter rollback, which further stokes the discontent of the Filipino people.

Along with Lacierda and Tolentino, the oil oligarchs are provoking the people to rebel against the system. However we will not pursue an “inciting to sedition” case against them. If they would continue to ignore the people’s desperate plea to control oil prices, they would have their day and we will give them want they want! #