TRANSPORT group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) Cebu staged its third strike in just over a month on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, criticizing the government’s P5,000 fuel subsidy as insufficient and poorly distributed, with leaders saying less than one percent of drivers received full aid and some got reduced amounts due to cooperative deductions.
Drivers and operators, braving extreme heat and poor air quality, held coordinated protest actions at key chokepoints before converging on Colon St. in downtown Cebu City for a unified program.
Piston Cebu president Greg Perez said the group would continue its protests until the government delivers concrete, long-term solutions to the fuel crisis.
“We will not stop until there is an adequate response from the government,” Perez said in Cebuano.
Coordinated protest actions
The strike ran from 7 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. in areas including P. del Rosario St. and Barangays Mabolo, Guadalupe and Labangon in Cebu City; Barangay Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City; Barangay Cabancalan in Mandaue City; and Consolacion in northern Cebu.
The participants later gathered on Colon St.
Perez said the April 21 action also supported a three-day protest in Manila led by Manibela and Piston Manila.
About 50 drivers joined, marking Piston Cebu’s third strike this year after earlier actions on March 19 and March 27.
“Band-aid” subsidy questioned
The group criticized the government’s P5,000 fuel subsidy, saying it reached only a small fraction of drivers.
“Less than one percent of drivers in Cebu have received it,” Perez said. “Many are complaining that they only received P1,500.”
Perez said subsidies coursed through cooperatives may be reduced by deductions, especially for drivers with debts.
“Our demand is for the aid to be given directly to drivers, not to pass through corrupt hands,” he said.
Perez added that the fuel subsidy has effectively become a financial subsidy with limited impact.
“The aid is called a fuel subsidy, but it has turned into a financial subsidy,” he said.
Calls for reforms
Piston Cebu reiterated demands for fuel price rollbacks, removal of excise taxes, fare increases and repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law.
“Scrap the Oil Deregulation Law. The government must respond not with band-aid solutions but with long-term measures,” Perez said.
He also alleged that oil prices are manipulated by large companies.
“The increase in fuel prices is being manipulated by large cartels and businesses,” he said, adding that firms can raise prices at any time.
While acknowledging recent rollbacks, Perez said these remain insufficient.
“It is true that there has been a rollback, but it is still not enough to return to pre-crisis prices,” he said.
Drivers’ earnings hit
Drivers said rising fuel prices have sharply reduced daily income, from about P1,000 to as low as P200 after expenses.
The group linked price increases to global tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran, affecting supply.
As of April 21, fuel prices have reached up to P120 per liter.
Perez said participation in strikes is voluntary, but many drivers continue to join.
“We do not force participation. They join out of their own will, even under extreme heat,” he said.
“We do not mind the exhaustion. We leave our steering wheels behind for everyone — for drivers and passengers,” he added.
Perez said future strikes will depend on the government’s response.
“When it comes to strikes, it depends on the government’s action. We will continue,” he said. / CDF