The police will go on full alert starting Sunday, a day ahead of the two-day transport strike from 5 a.m. Monday to 3 p.m. Tuesday in Negros Occidental, to protest the spiraling prices of fuel.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director, yesterday ordered police commanders to exercise “maximum tolerance” with protestors, whom he also urged to respect the rights of those who will not join the protest action.

Franco said troopers of the 612nd Provincial Mobile Group will be placed on standby, in case they will be needed by the Bacolod City Police Office and other police units.

The strikers are demanding the scrapping of the Reformed Value-Added Tax on oil and agricultural inputs to bring down the price of fuel and food.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday said he welcomed the move of the transport groups in Bacolod City to hold a two-day transport strike and said that he will take up their issues in Congress.

“I think they are demanding for the suspension of Value Added Tax on oil prices and for the review the Oil Deregulation Law,” he said. 

 “I don’t blame them if they want to be heard since that is their right,” Puentevella said. He is set to meet with them, he said.

Puentevella has filed House Bill 3397 on Jan. 15, 2008, calling for the temporary suspension of VAT on oil products for a year. He hopes the President will listen to their appeal, he said.

Puentevella said has also asked for the review and amendment of the Oil Deregulation Law, as the chairman of the Committee on Transportation. He said the law failed to serve its real purpose which is supposed to increase competition in the country’s oil industry and lower prices of crude oil and other petroleum products.

He said Petron, which is partly owned by the government, has joined the ranks of big oil companies in forming oil cartel in the industry.

Puentevalla said he is also the Energy, Power Industry Reformed Act reviewed, which has not been effective.*GPB/CGS

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