|
Monday, March 29, 2004
Militants hit ‘malicious’ cop’s claims vs leaders
By Albert B. Lacanlale
THE Pampanga-based Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide, Inc. (Piston) and party-list AnakPawis-Pampanga chapter denounced Sunday accusations made by a top provincial police officer against their leaders.
The groups criticized Pampanga Provincial Police Director Rodolfo “Boogie” Mendoza for alleging that Piston and AnakPawis leaders threatened other transport groups and coerced them to join the province-wide transport strike Monday.
Mendoza said the police are conducting an investigation of purported threats and harassments linked to the two groups even as the police official claimed of possible link between Piston and AnakPawis and the New People’s Army (NPA).
The rebel group was also tagged with purported threats against the transport groups who declined to join the strike.
Waldy Santos, Piston-Pampanga spokesperson, said Mendoza’s accusations were “malicious and a desperate move by the police to discredit Piston and AnakPawis in order to dilute the legitimacy of the drivers’ demands of rollback in oil prices and P1 fare increase.”
“Mr. Mendoza, in his front-page statement is probably using the oldest and cheapest trick in their little black book under the section likely entitled ‘Discrediting Legitimate Peoples’ Organizations Through Harassment and Psychological Warfare,’ when they accused us of threatening the drivers just so they would join the strike.
“Clearly, the purpose of his statement is to dilute the drivers legitimate demand, to discredit the leaders of the organizations that help and support the drivers and legalize constant police surveillance on them, and to harass and discourage the drivers not to join future transport strikes for fear of being connected with the New Peoples’ Army,” Santos said.
“Threats and harassment is never an option with Piston. It was the drivers and operators themselves, even those who aren’t yet affiliated with Piston, who opted to launch protests and mass actions, including the series of transport strikes in the province,” Santos said, “because they can no longer tolerate the unbridled increase in oil prices which — since the Oil Deregulation Law of 1996 took effect — increased 58 times or 228 per cent of oil prices before the law was implemented.”
“When before,” he continued, “the drivers managed to take home at the most P200 to P300 after a 12-hour rounds, which in itself is barely enough to put food in the table, these days they are lucky if they can bring home P120 a day.”
Santos also said “what irks the drivers most is the Arroyo government’s incompetence and indifference over their plight and her stiff-necked attitude towards the drivers’ demand for oil price rollback and petition for a P1.00 fare hike which has been dragging on for ages. And when they chose to invoke their democratic rights to launch mass protests and transport strikes, they are met with threats, yes threats of cancellation of franchise whoever will join the strike.”
“More than anything or anyone, it is Mrs. Arroyo and her police force who never think twice about resorting to threats and harassment,” Santos averred.
In response to Mendoza’s reported order to investigate the alleged threats against transport groups who did not join the strike, Santos said they are also conducting their own investigation to find out the truth behind the police report of alleged letters and text messages threatening the drivers who did not join the strike.
“It will not be a huge surprise if we find out that it was the police themselves who actually sent these supposed letters and messages. They are known as resorting to such kind of desperate tactics. If proven, we can only hope but doubt very much that the Pampanga PPO will still ensure the full enforcement of the law and arrest those who harass and threaten the jeepney and bus drivers,” said Santos.
Meanwhile, Santos announced that they will join the nationwide transport strike called by Piston National on March 30.
He said they expect “intensified police interference through ‘dialogues’ where PPO, led by Mendoza, will predictably try to dissuade the drivers to not join the transport strike.”
(March 29, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
