Global alliance of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families Migrante International congratulated transport group PISTON for its unwavering and uncompromising stance in the fight against oil price hikes.
For Connie Bragas-Regalado, spokesperson for Migrante International, PISTON should be lauded for standing firm in their principles and focusing on the issues at hand.
“The issues are overpricing of big oil companies, the onerous VAT on oil products and the one-sided Oil Deregulation Law. These are all anti-people and anti-poor policies that need to be addressed by the Aquino administration,” she said.
Earlier, PISTON and other transport groups held a dialogue with Pres. Aquino in Malacanang following reports of an impending transport strike. After the dialogue, other transport groups were appeased by Aquino’s promises and withdrew their participation in the transport strike, while PISTON announced that they would push through with theirs.
Bragas-Regalado said that the dialogue with Aquino did not result in concrete and immediate solutions to the unending spate of oil price hikes and failed to address the issues head-on.
“We also thank PISTON because, unlike other transport groups, PISTON clearly holds the interests of the people and the poor in higher regard rather than their own self-serving agenda. This only goes to show who among these transport groups are in unity with other sectors of society that are opposed to oil price hikes,” she said.
Multisectoral organizations under umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), including Migrante International, will also be holding a People Protest against Oil Price Hikes on the 19th.
“We will join the People’s Protest and we express our full support to the transport strike,” Bragas-Regalado said. ###
