TERSELY CONDEMN THE NEW ROUND OF GASOLINE PRICE INCREASE

Cesar Renerio
Spokesperson
NDF-North Central Mindanao
June 15, 2004

The National Democratic Front-North Central Mindanao(NDF-NCM) strongly unites with the people in condemning this new round of gasoline price increase which resulted in the racing up of prices of basic commodities and services. With the increase of the price of gasoline, so too the fares of public transport rises; and as products and people are carried in it, naturally fares go up too; and so on with this dominoing effect.

The people should curse and condemn the Macapagal-Arroyo�s regime for its rabid puppetry in pursuing this Oil Deregulation Law as dictated by the WTO. In its dire obsequiousness of its foreign master�s dictates through the deliverance of its disastrous economic policies notably liberalization, deregulation and privatization, hard hit and most downtrodden are the basic sectors of society especially the workers, peasants and the urban poor. While wages and farmgate prices of the peasants� produce are kept on downstill, prices of commodities and services soared uncontrollably.

Every year, in the average, prices of gasoline increase seven to eight times. Thus it is not true that the entry of �New Players� in the oil market can lower its price. Our experience shows this on the contrary.

These �New Players� in the oil industry in reality if we are to portray, are mere �sales men� of the giant oil companies� oil products. In simple analogy to dry goods enterprise, these seven giant oil companies are �wholesalers� whereas the so-called �New Players� are just �retailers�. And as mere �retailers� naturally they will just mark up the prices upon selling, resulting of a much more higher prices in the local market.

The domination of giant oil companies in the Upstream and Downstream level of the oil industry is the root cause of the oil price increase. Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Total, Chevron Texaco and Connoco Phillips are responsible for the oil price fluctuations inorder to accumulate super-profits!

Because these giant oil companies owned the world�s oil concessions, they control the prices of this commodity. OPEC or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries because of its not-so-developed economies, especially Saudi Arabia, has only become the adjunct of US imperialism. Together with Iraq, Qatar, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Indonesia and Venezuela, they comprised the OPEC.

Only the radical change of our social system can reverse the aberrant trend of the current situation. Only through liberation from US imperialism� stranglehold in our economic, political, military and cultural field can our generations be assured of a bright future. We must be all vigilant and be concerned for the inevitable change of our society. We cannot go any further if this situation remains unchanged. We must carry forward nationalist industrialization and genuine land reform to pave the way for a smooth resolution of the basic problems of the people.

Lets us scrap the Oil Deregulation Law and the regime�s disastrous policies of liberalization and privatization. Let it dawn on us that for every concluded reactionary elections is followed by a huge increase in oil price. It would enlighten us then that reactionary elections are not the solution to the ills of society. Thus this is high time that we compel those victorious candidates especially Macapagal-Arroyo to make good with their promises of �food and services� during the just recently concluded reactionary elections.

PEOPLE UNITE! JOIN IN THE STRUGGLE FOR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE AND DEMOCRACY!

TO ALL WELL-MEANING MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES! JOIN AND BE ONED WITH US IN THE PEOPLE�S STRUGGLE FOR A JUST AND HUMANE SOCIETY!