Oil companies have the option not to increase says Anakbayan Metro Baguio; Weekly protest vs price hikes to build-up towards SONA

Militant youth organization Anakbayan-Metro Baguio led a noise barrage today in protest to another round of oil price hikes. In the face of the escalating economic crisis under the Arroyo government, the youth group called for the scrapping of the 12% Value Added Tax (VAT) on oil, electricity, and other basic commodities.

"Anakbayan calls for a thorough review of the Oil Deregulation Law. We demand that the government must take an active, pro-people stand now on the issue of oil hikes and the economic crisis", said Sloan Ramos, Anakbayan Metro-Baguio spokesperson, adding that such includes "immediate and long-term actions, not cash dole-outs."

"With 70% of oil prices going directly to the profit of oil companies, it's a lie to claim that they have no option but to increase. All they need is the pro-people political will to rollback prices," he said. "But we won't expect them to do that."

Further, he said the Arroyo administration's inability to truly shelter the Filipino people from the economic crisis is "another reason for her ouster."

Anakbayan calls for a series of protest actions in every instance of price increase for oil and other basic commodities. "This noise barrage is only a part of wider and prolonged mass actions on the economic crisis and the Arroyo administration's misgovernment, leading towards a huge crowd for Arroyo's State of the Nation Address on July." Ramos ended. #