Transport strike looms despite massive petrol price rollback

Transport coalitions PISTON and Manibela will launch simultaneous nationwide strikes starting Tuesday to protest high fuel costs and demand the repeal of energy tax laws.

PISTON is set for a one-day strike on 21 April, with more than 4,000 drivers expected to participate in Metro Manila.

Manibela, on the other hand, announced a longer three-day protest running through 23 April.

The groups are demanding an immediate fuel price rollback to 55 pesos per liter, the abolition of the Oil Deregulation Law, and the suspension of excise and value-added taxes on petroleum products.

Citing severe financial losses, PISTON filed a petition Monday with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board seeking to raise the minimum jeepney fare from P13 to P23. The group noted that diesel in Metro Manila currently costs about P123.40 per liter, an 86 percent increase from the P66.40 recorded in October 2023.

“Before Labor Day comes, we need to have a nationwide movement,” said PISTON National Coordinator Cerilo Latoreno. He expressed frustration over the government’s lack of response to previous demonstrations.

Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena echoed the sentiment, telling The Philippine Star that the strike aims to “slam the government for its excessive tax collection and exploitation of the people.”

The strikes coincide with a significant fuel price rollback taking effect Tuesday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced diesel prices will drop by P24.94 per liter, gasoline by P3.41 and kerosene by P2.

The transport sector remains divided on the mobilization. The Western Visayas Alliance of Transport Cooperatives and Corporations Inc. in Iloilo City formally opted out of the strike, and local officials there assured the public that commuter transport would remain stable.