NEWS RELEASE
March 15, 2012
Newly-formed Coalition against Oil Price Increases (CAOPI) today challenge President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to address real problems behind the unabated price hikes on oil and petroleum products and not divert the issue by drawing attention over irrelevant concerns like repressing street protests and offering patch-up solutions. The group stresses that in order to stop the rise of oil prices, the Aquino administration must heed the long-drawn demands of the people to junk Oil Deregulation Law, scrap the 12% VAT on oil and petroleum products and nationalize oil industry.
CAOPI also airs dismay over the evident showcase of inaction and incompetence of the present government to stop the continuous increase of costs of oil and petroleum products. They said that the mere admittance of the Palace that it can do nothing to resolve the issue had given big and new oil players confidence to freely impose price increases on their products.
The coalition claims that just the start of 2012, oil companies have already increased oil prices eight times amounting to P3.70 per liter of diesel and P5.85 per liter of gasoline. Meanwhile, also according to them, an
11-kilogram Liquefied Petroleum Gasoline (LPG) tank also climbs from P830.00 to P919.00 just this year. They also blame the accumulated P9.00 overpricing on oil prices and collection of the 12% EVAT as major factors of the rising cost of oil and other petroleum products.
‘We can no longer expect that President Aquino can do something significant to somehow alter the deregulated status of pricing of oil in the country. The word already came from them that we can’t expect them to make speedy actions to lower oil prices in the country,’ says Francis Mariazeta, spokesperson of CAOPI.
In time of the World Consumer’s Rights Day today, Mariazeta calls on the Filipino consumers to stand up and in their own little way to take any form of actions of defiance against the failure of PNoy to address the issue of oil price hike. The coalition even encourages the public to join them in their upcoming series of protests against the series of oil price increases.
Also in time of the National Day of People’s Protest vs. Oil Price Increases, CAOPI today staged a simultaneous and day-long Metro-wide ‘Blow-a-Whistle’ noise barrage protest in key cities of Metro Manila including the City of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Navotas, Marikina, Paranaque, Taguig, San Juan, Mandaluyong and Muntinlupa from 5:00 till 7:00 in the evening.
Various activities like the Stomp Protest along Espana, Kuliglig Parade to Mendiola, Lantern Flying Protest in Caloocan, Human Chain in Marikina, Signature Campaign among others were also staged today. Different organizations across the archipelago also participated in today’s action, spearheaded by Koalisyon ng Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan (KPMM) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).
‘The nationwide protest today is only the start of more intensified protests against the Aquino government’s inaction over issue of oil price hikes. The government must brace for more protests in the coming days until PNoy listens to us,’ Mariazeta ended. ###
Reference:
Francis Mariazeta,
CAOPI Spokespesman
