A transport group on Wednesday, Oct. 4, urged the government to junk the oil deregulation law as the provisional P1 fare hike appears trivial amid the steady rise in prices of petroleum products.

“Pag tiningnan po natin, yung piso ay wala nang halaga dahil dun nga sa mga pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo,” Mody Floranda, president of Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), said regarding the recently approved P1 provisional fare increase for modern and traditional public utility jeepneys (PUJs).

“Ang kailangan talagang galawin ng gobyerno ay yung usapin ng oil deregulation law kasi siya yung nagiging bunsod ng patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo dito sa ating bansa,” the PISTON national president said in an interview with DZRH.

He added that the Department of Energy (DOE) said it had been tied to the provision under the law for the past 26 years.

“Ang position natin ay dapat ibasura itong [...] dahil sa ilalim ng batas ay oil company lamang po yung nagde-decide ng pagtaas at pagbaba ng presyo ng petrolyo sa ating bansa,” he said.

Like other transport groups, Floranda also urged the government to suspend excise tax on petroleum products.

“Ito naman ay matagal na natin itong panawagan sa administrasyon dahil talagang nakita naman natin yung direct effect na nagawa ng batas ay talagang tayo yung nags-suffer,” he said.

The PISTON national president earlier said that the suspension of excise tax will reduce the price of basic commodities, which sets an advantage for both consumers and the public transportation sector.