Legaspi: Strike rollback?

Legaspi: Strike rollback?

THE purpose of strikes is simple. It is to cripple a system or machinery so that the owner/administrator could feel the effect of an introduced policy or circumstance. A strike should also create inconvenience to the general public, so it can voice out their sentiments.

A two-day transport strike had been organized in Bacolod City to address the sky-high price increase of oil products. However, on the eve of the first day, promises poured in that pushed the sector to call off the second day of the strike.

Bacolod transport sector had set a two-day transport strike dubbed as "People's Holiday."

Many feared the economic effect of the action. For the daily-income earners, this will create inconvenience and even loss of income. For some middle class and the "rich," this has no effect because they have their "loaned - cars" and their apathetic views and behavior. For the belt-tightened citizen, this is a welcome move so that the government would respond and make true the many promises they made. The objective of the strike is noble and is acceptable, for in some instances the government becomes wary or deaf to this request, the public sector may opt for civil disobedience or worst even would embrace violence as a means to be heard.

The calls to drop the excise tax and to put an end to the Train law are legitimate and would put a stop to the fear of uncertainty that lurks every week. Wikipedia gives us this definition. "An excise, or excise tax, is any duty on manufactured goods that is levied at the moment of manufacture rather than at sale. Excise is often associated with customs duties; customs are levied on goods that become taxable items at the border, while excise is levied on goods that came into existence inland."

The tax imposed on our basic imported goods like all is stated in Duterte's Train law. It was set in 2016 that there will be a tremendous effect on our economy but the worst have replaced the positive intention. Now, we are not only dying but we are already living dead by the effects of the tax Laws adopted by several Philippine administrations.

The Philippine Congress could suspend or abolish any law. However, I do not think they will by this time. The Supreme Court may review the provisions of the laws relative to the taxes and other statutes that affect the economic lives of the people. This is a time to point fingers but this is the time that our supposed leaders should do something for the people.

It seems that the series of increases had been made but the people were not affected and were very busy with the "what-we-can get" attitude from politicians. The election fever has covered the realities of life and even the dreaded spread of Covid-19 variants. The Filipino people have been blinded by the colors pink and red. This talk has occupied most lives of the Filipinos, who seem to have shut down their rationality and focused on the fancies between the pink and the red.

To my surprise, the two-day strike was cut down to only a day. What happened?

Negotiations are on the way. Protagonists came into the picture to bring heaven here on earth and in a wink, that's it. No more transport strikes and back to the same situation of the oil price hike just lurking around the corner. The rollback surely appeased the anger of the people. I pray that the next round of oil price hikes will not be faced with a half-baked strike.

God help us.

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