The United Negros Drivers Operators Center and the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association announced yesterday the staging of a two-day transportation strike on Dec. 13 and 14 as part of a nationwide protest to demand government action against the continuing rise in oil prices.

The protest is in response to a call of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) for a nationwide transportation strike to be held in various parts of the country, Jessie Ortega, UNDOC secretary-general, said.

Ortega expects the two-day strike in Negros to cripple public transportation by 98 percent. He urged the public to support the strike by either joining the protestors or just staying home.

Iloilo is also set to hold a two-day transportation strike simultaneously with Negros Occidental, Ortega said.

In Negros Occidental, the strike will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and will start at 6 a.m. of Friday with the protestors set to march to the Bacolod City Hall at 3:30 a.m. to air their grievances in front of the Fountain of Justice.

The mass protest is triggered by massive oil price increases and the inability of government to control the rising costs of spare parts and other basics commodities, Ortega and Elizabeth Katalbas, FEBACDA president, said.

They said among their demands is a reduction of the Expanded Value Added Tax, scrapping of the oil deregulation law, for government to exercise control of prices on spare parts and other basic commodities, and the nationalization of the oil industry.

Katalbas said FEBACDA and UNDOC will also send a letter to the president informing her of their concerns.

A reduction on the tax on fuel would ease the burden of the transport sector, Katalbas said. If tax on fuel is reduced then we would not have to seek fare increases as the people are also suffering, she added.

During the transport strike, rally centers will be set up at Libertad, Magsaysay, Burgos and Lacson streets in Bacolod City .

We felt it fitting to announce our transport strike on International Human Rights Day because the failure of government to act on the plight of our sector is also a human rights violation, he said.

Ortega said some taxi and tricycle groups are also supporting their protest.

Edgar Ombion, president of the Federation of Bacolod City Drivers and Operators Association, said his group will also join the strike.

Meanwhile, PISTON has filed a petition before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for a P1 fare hike.

Rommel Santillan, UNDOC chairman, said also among their demands is a P125 a day or P3,000 across-the-board wage increase for employees in the private and government sectors.*CPG

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