Drive and operators from Piston and Manibela marched to the Petron gas station in East Avenue, Quezon City today, November 12, to protest the latest round of oil price increases.

The oil companies raised the price of diesel by ₱2.10 per liter, gasoline by ₱1.50 per liter, and kerosene by ₱1.20 per liter. Since January, the net increase in the price of gasoline has reached ₱10.15 per liter, ₱9.40 net increase of diesel per liter, while kerosene decreased by ₱1.40 per liter.

Every time oil prices increase, large oil companies like Petron, Shell, Caltex, Seaoil, PetroGazz, and Cleanfuel rake in huge profits. Piston is skeptical of the reasons provided by these companies to justify the increases.

The group stated that oil companies continue to “manipulate prices to continue amassing profits and protect their income amid the turmoil in the Middle East, which is the world’s main source of oil.”

This places a significant strain on drivers and public transportation operators, creating a ripple effect that impacts everyday citizens. Piston highlighted that since October, the cumulative daily income lost by an average driver due to the ongoing increases in oil prices has reached approximately ₱5,000.

“On top of these are the taxes imposed by the government on oil, such as VAT and excise tax, which further burden drivers and ordinary consumers,” Piston said. The group has been calling for the removal of these oppressive taxes on oil since Marcos Jr took office in 2022.

They are also calling for the government to regain control and regulation of the oil industry, which it surrendered through the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998. “How can this be done? We need all drivers, operators, passengers, and Filipino families to continuously organize, unite, and protest against the suffering inflicted on us by the government and corporations. We need more protests and strikes,” Piston said.

Piston chairman Ka Mody Floranda, Kilusang Mayo Uno secretary general Ka Jerome Adonis, and Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena joined the march. The three are senatorial candidates who are advocating for the interests of ordinary drivers, operators, and workers in their campaign.