The Energy Crisis, Transport Strike in the Philippines and the US-Arroyo Regime

Analysis

The Energy Crisis, Transport Strike in the Philippines and the US-Arroyo Regime

By Arturo P. Garcia, AJLPP

Los Angeles- In 1981, the US-backed Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, at the height of his power tried to take-over the San Miguel Corporation then owned by Spanish-American citizen Zobel.

Zobel just said to Marcos: “Just try to take-over and I will relocate all my business to Spain.†Marcos call it quits and took over San Miguel Corporation before he was toppled by People’s Power in 1986.

Now, President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo. The Marcos dictator copycat, is doing the same at the Lopez Empire trying to take-over MERALCO, the prime electric distributing corporation in the Philippines.

But it is very transparent that the real intention of GMA is to take-over or silence the ABS-CBN, the media network of the Lopez family which has been unrelenting in its criticisms against the president.

ABS-CBN have produced political figures like vice president Noli De Castro, and Senator Loren Legarda. Jackie Ejercito, the daughter of ex-president Joseph Estrada is also married to the scion of the Lopez family. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo just like Marcos is wary of the Lopez influence in politics.

The Lopez US-Based Empire

The Lopez family owns the business empire that stretch globally. It owns and runs the ABS-CBN TV-multi media and cinema network that includes the Filipino Channel in the US which has around 500,000 subscribers in its cable channel business

The Lopez family defied the US-Marcos regime from San Francisco exile for 14 years. Steve Psinakis, a family relative led the April 8 Movement that were suspected by the Marcos regime of launching bombings actions in Manila. They facilitated the escape of Lopez and Osmena from jail during martial law. Serge Osmena later became active in the anti-martial law /anti-Marcos movement in the US. Osmena later became a senator after EDSA One and a GMA opposition critique up to now..

After the EDSA people's uprising in 1986, the Lopez family recovered all its assests after martial law in 1986 including MERALCO AND ABS-CBN that the US-=Marcos clique confiscated during martial law.

Meanwhile the Lopez family is daring the government is free to take-over MERLACO if it will pay the Lopez family a handsome amount. The government after much propaganda, backed down saying that “ the government is not in businessâ€

The people's strike

On the other hand, the latest successful nationwide transport strike and people’s protest led by the progressive sectors in the Philippines ,sent a strong message to the Arroyo government that it could no longer ignore calls to junk the 12% value added tax (VAT) on oil products and repeal Republic Act (RA) 8479 or the Oil Deregulation Law.

The prime labor center in the Philippines, KMU ( May First Movement) affiliated Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) called the transport strike in Metro Manila as well as in Baguio City, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol region, Panay, Negros Occidental, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and the cities of Iligan, Butuan, and General Santos in Mindanao to press the demand to scrap the oil VAT and the oil deregulation law.

KMU and PISTON protest the oil companies that implemented 10 rounds of oil price hikes this year that increased the pump prices of gasoline products, diesel, and kerosene by P6 a liter. In the last two weeks alone, pump prices have jumped by P2 a liter with the oil firms claiming that they still need to recover as much as P7 a liter.

The AJLPP and the people’s movement in the Philippines has pointed out in the past that the cancellation of the oil VAT alone will significantly reduce oil prices. At their present levels, the pump prices of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene can fall by P5-6 a liter if the oil VAT is removed.

The groups also said that the cancellation of the oil VAT must be complemented with the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law to have a more significant positive impact on poverty.