(Bulatlat.com)
July 21, 2008 – 11:55 a.m.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said that it was a deferred price hike not a P1.50-per-liter rollback in pump prices of diesel that was implemented by oil companies this weekend. Malacañang made an appeal to oil companies after the latter implemented a P3 increase in the pump prices of diesel last Saturday. The Big 3 supposedly heeded the appeal yesterday.

In a statement, Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan secretary general, said, “It is not a real rollback because oil companies are merely deferring the collection of their so-called under recoveries.” He said that the so-called ‘rollback’ will be recouped by the oil companies in a matter of days, or during their next increase which is likely five days from now.

He noted that earlier this month, oil companies announced a P1.00/liter rollback only to raise prices by P1.50/liter two days later.

Reyes maintained that Malacañang’s appeal is ‘a calculated political move aimed at defusing public outrage over the non-stop oil price increases and the Value Added Tax (VAT) on oil.’

Meanwhile, George San Mateo, secretary general of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston), said that Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is merely preparing for her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

San Mateo said that if Arroyo is sincere in solving the relentless oil price increases, she should have scrapped the value added tax on oil and the oil deregulation law.

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