Progressive organizations in Cebu asserted their indignation against the oil price hike and to call for a Php750 minimum wage and suspend the excise tax and value-added tax (VAT) on oil in a press conference and petition paper signing held in San Roque Parish Conference Room, Subangdaku, Mandaue City on April 1, 2022.

Among these groups were Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU), transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor (PISTON)-Cebu and urban poor alliance Panaghugpong sa mga Kabus nga Taga Dakbayan-Kadamay Cebu (Panaghugpong-Kadamay Cebu).

“Ang tumong ug tuyo nato sa atong press conference karon kay ang pagkick off ug pagsugod kini sa atong petition signing ngadto sa mga nagkalain-laing komunidad ngadto sa mga pabrika aron suportaan ang giduso sa ALSA Kontraktwal (Alyansa sa mga Mamumuong Kontraktwal sa Sugbo) ug giduso sa mamumuo nga umento sa suholan,” AMA Sugbo-KMU chairperson Jaime Paglinawan said in his rationale speech.

(The goal and purpose of our press conference today is to kick off and start our petition signing from the different communities to the factories in order to support what ALSA Kontraktwal and the workers have been pushing – an increase in wages.)

Workers organizations have been pushing a P750 minimum wage increase, especially now that, despite an increase of nominal wages, real wages have been decreasing due to massive oil price hikes in the wake of the Russo-Ukraine crisis and widespread inflation of basic necessities.

“Ngano apil ta, kitang mga urban poor nga namuyo sa komunidad? Tungod kay kita apektado ta ani, walay luwas ta ani nga maong problema sa atong katilingban kay kitang mga urban poor naggamit ta’g mga LPG… Kuyog ta aning mga panawagan, drivers, workers, mag-uuma, mangingisda man ta… Kita tanan musulong ta ani labi na sa atong mga demanda, nga isuspenso kini ang mga lain-laing tax gisagubang karon nga nagpatong-patong sa atong gipangpalit matag adlaw,” said urban poor leader Giovanni Rosales.

(Why are we part of this, us urban poor who live in the communities? Because we are affected by this, we are not free from these problems in our society because us urban poor use LPG tanks… we, the drivers, workers, farmers, fisherfolk, are part of these calls… We have to advance these demands to suspend these different taxes which have been undertaken today that increase the prices of what we buy every day.)

In a statement released to media, Paglinawan also added, “Dili ni buwag nga mga isyu, labi na nga nagkagrabi karon ang kalisod sa katawhan. Sa pagsaka sa presyo sa lana, mosaka pud ang presyo sa mga palaliton. Tungod ana, mas nikusog karon ang demanda sa mga mamumuo nga isaka ang minimum wage nga dugay ra natong giduso.”

(These are not separate issues, especially now that the people are plunging into even more difficulty. With the rising prices on oil, the prices of goods will also rise. It is all the more reason for workers to demand the minimum wage hike that we have long been pushing.)

Independent think tank IBON Foundation listed commodities that have increased in prices such as rice, fish and seafood, housing, water, electricity, gas and other petroleum products. IBON also noted that fuel price increases have come on top of 2 years of strict pandemic lockdowns that devastated the income of millions of Filipino families.

The audience at the press conference signed two petitions – one for junking the excise tax and the VAT on oil, gas and other fuel products and another for a P750 minimum wage increase in Cebu and Central Visayas in line with the petition filed by workers’ alliance ALSA Kontraktwal Cebu on March 21, 2022.