Bayan upholds legitimacy and urgency of transport strike

STATEMENT

April 20, 2009

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan believes in the legitimacy and urgency of the transport strike that the public transport sector as headed by TRANSMISSION-PISTON will hold on April 29. Rooting on the legitimacy of the calls to abolish DOTC Order No. 38 and 39 plus the calls to scrap Oil Deregulation Law, it is urgent that a higher form of opposition such as transport strike be done and supported by other sectors and the riding public ourselves.

High time as it is, the public transport sector needs to act strongly against DO 39 as such implementation is unjust and abusive. The implementation has not only bypassed due processes and the right of the drivers and operators to be consulted, the objectives are clear in using the public transport sector as a milking-cow of the Arroyo administration to suffice its needed funds for the 2010 election. The vulnerable condition of the sector to traffic rule violations is clearly being maximized for income generation which made the Land Transportation Organization (LTO) as the 4^th most income generating government agency under the Arroyo administration.

In the 1st quarter of 2009, LTO was able to generate an income of P2.8 B from the fees it has collected from the public transportation sector and is set to collect P10 B more by the end of 2009. Add to this the Road User’s Tax which already amounted to P51 B in the past 7 years that LTO has been collecting such tax. There is also the 12% Value Added Tax which is estimated to amount to P81 B for 2009. While the government is earning this much from the public transportation sector, nothing has been done to improve the traffic situation in the country.

Not a single motive would explain that DO 38 and 39 is meant to deter traffic rule violations and vehicular accidents. DOTC’s own study of the traffic situation in the country does not show positive changes by its implementation of penalties and fees. In fact, it admits that the traffic situation is worsening over the years. And for it to say that additional penalties and fees are necessary to resolve the problem is way-off illogical and purely a tall tale statement.

We stand against DO 38 and 39 on ground that the country’s perennial problem on traffic necessitates deeper understanding of a traffic system under a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Traffic violations and vehicular accidents are worsening basically because the conditions of the streets and highways in almost all parts of the country are sub-standard and not proportionate to the large number of vehicles that are on the streets in a day-to-day basis. This is to emphasize that the rampant corrupt practices in the biddings and implementation of the government’s infrastructure projects have been sacrificing the convenience and safety of the drivers and the riding public.

There is more that confronts the ordinary public transportation drivers in today’s situation. Burdened by numerous and redundant fees, the everyday threat of oil price hikes makes life even harder for the drivers. Amidst the worsening global economic crisis that is already causing the prices of basic commodities and services to become more unaffordable for Filipinos from all walks of life, the implementation of D0 38 and 39 is absolutely absurd and inhuman.

The track record of the Arroyo government, the DOTC and LTO on corruption makes the implementation of DO 38 and 39 more unacceptable. Within their turfs, corruption is rampant and undeniable. Thus, the people will not stop from getting more vigilant against corruption and anti-people policies of the Arroyo government. We stand firm in saying:

Abolish DOTC Dept. Order 38 ug 39!

Scrap Oil Deregulation Law!

Oust Gloria Arroyo!