Workers launch community protests vs. oil overpricing

Workers and urban poor lauched community protests today in Manila, Pasig and Marikina to condemn the Big 3’s overpricing of petroleum products, demanding that the Aquino government order a P9.00 rollback in the per liter prices of oil.

Led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno, the workers and urban poor held local marches, programs and noise barrage in Delpan and Anda Circle in Manila, San Joaquin in Pasig and at a venue near the Marikina Sports Complex.

They carried placards calling on the people to fight the overpricing of petroleum products and the Aquino government’s collusion with the oil cartel, as well as the demand for a P9.00 rollback in oil prices.

“Workers and the poor have had enough of the Big 3’s overpricing of petroleum products in the local oil market. We were further enraged by the meager less than P2.00 rollback in the per liter prices of oil last week, which was followed by a more than P1.00 increase this week,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“Workers and the poor were further enraged by news that Petron, which earned the highest profits among corporations last year, further boosted its earnings by more than 100% from January to June this year. We are revolted by the fact that the big oil companies continue to amass huge profits by sucking poor people dry through overpricing and other schemes while we suffer from low wages and high prices,” he added.


More to follow

KMU said more community protests will follow in the coming days in Quezon City, Pasay and Makati.

“We will not stop protesting until we get an immediate relief from the soaring prices of oil and of other commodities significantly brought about by oil price hikes. The Aquino government is playing deaf to our calls right now but we will force it to listen with our local and national protests in the coming days,” Labog said.

“Our local unions, community organizations and chapters of transport groups are clamoring for bigger protests in the coming days. We know that without such protests, the Big 3 will go on overpricing their products and hiking prices at will, and that the Aquino government will continue conniving with the Big 3 in the latter’s profiteering schemes,” he added. Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU Chairperson