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Militant party-list groups hold
'flash mob' to protest TRAIN
EY WEI{DEII VIGIUA
LEFT-LEANING party-list
groups from the Makabalan bloc
kicked off their campaign vester,
day morning with a street dance
against the Tax Reform for Ac-
celeration and Inclusion (IRAJITI;
Act arrd the latest oil price bjke.,
Nlembers of the Gahriela VIom-
ent Pattv held a "flash mob" on
Commonwealth Ave. .in Quezon
ci+
Their suppofters staged pedes-
trian dance demos in four busr
points to call for the lorvering
MILITANT
campaigned for Bayan Muna pary-
list at the Balintawak Matket in
Quezon Citywhile incumbent Rep.
Carlos Isagani Zarate attended
a campaign sottie in Barangay
unasan, Muntinlupa Ciry
Zarate ctttictzed President
Duterte for sayrng that he can do
notiing about the oil price hikes.
Bayan Muna has filed House
Bill 1760 to renationalize Pe
fton, House Bill 3676 to regulate
the downstteam oil industry and
House Bi1l3678 or the centfalized
ptocurement of petoleum in the
countrv-
The group is calling on the
House leadership to fast ttack
these bills to shield FiJ.ipinos from
escalating oil price hikes.
"Up to 95 percent of the coun
try's petroleum rcquirements ate
impoted, rendedng rhe country
exceedingly lrrlnerable to the dic-
tates of big ttansnational corpom-
tions. The worst implication of dLis
is that our severe dependence on
such corporations, which contol
not only the importation, refin-
ing, and tetailing of crude and
pettoleum products from abroad,
but also control the exploration,
expioitation, refining, retailiog,
{
of oil and commodity prices,
particulady for the repeal of
the regressive provisions of the
TRAIN Lavr
Pump ptices increased yesterday
for the fifth time since the start of
2019, with oil companies hiking the
price of gasoline by P0.90 per liter
and diesel by P0.55 per liter This
brings adjustmens since New Year
to a net iocrease of P1.50 per liter
for gasoline, P2.45 fot diesel, and
P2.75 for kerosene.
Outside Metro Manila, Gabriela
chapters staged motorcades and
flash mobs in Baguio City, Cebu,
and ev€n re-exportation of our
countq,'s indigenous petroleum
and petrolerim based products,"
Zatate said.
"These deprives os tlie op-
portunity to be self-sufficient
and earn from the development
of our own oil industrl" Zarate
added.
Kabataan party-list launched its
electotal campaign and 'Agenda
ng Kabataan" by toudng various
campus ateas around Manila while
Rep. Ariel Casilao @L, Anakpawig
joined the pafty's mororcade in
Pasay City, Manila and Quezon City
rvith his group's members from dre
peasantfy, wotkers, urban poor,
iisherfolk, agricultural workers,
women and youti.
Luntiang PiJipinas, the party-list
founded by Sen. Loren Legarda,
said it is high time that the public
elect a.green party to Congress
to champion the cause of the
envjtonment and prevent environ
mental disasters that necessitated
tlre cleanup and rehabilitation of
Boncay Island and Manila Bay.
Luntian is not a part of the
Makabayan bloc.
"It has been 21 years since
margrndized sectors wete allowed
lepresentation in the House of
Represenatives via *re party-list
tPo^tr P\ag rt
Iloilq Davao City, Pangasinan and
other cities and provinces to rrrark
the stronger electoral campaign
of the rvomen's patty Iist for thtee
seats.
Gabdela vowed to step up its
push for measures t-hat vuill safe
guard and adr,ance the rights and
welfare of women, LGBTQ and
children as it called on the pubJic
to join the One Billion fusing
(OBR) dance tevolt on February
16 in Manila.
Fotmer Rep. Satur Ocampo
See MILITANT > Page 86
system, and in that time no green
patty has ever been elected to
Congress. That, te believe, has
to change given the grave threats
posed to our environmeog" said
formet journalist Michael Ubac,
the group's first nominee.
Ubac, a graduate of the Uni-
versity of the Philippines and
Harvard University, said that
rvhile there have been legislators
like Legarda who are outspoken
advocates for the envitonment,
"we need more legrslators in Con-
gress who understand the issues
affecting our environment, and
vho have the capacity to push a
cohetent, consistent, and compre-
hensive pro environment agenda
irl the context of rhe Philippine
setting"
Ubac said Luntian has a clear
platfotm founddd on its four pil
lats: regreening (forest parks and
mangrove growing); solid waste
management; coastal and matine
fesorrce management; and climate
change adaptation.
"These arc the four major enwi-
ronmental issues we must address.
Luntiang Piliphas is not just about
draft-ing pro envirorment laws but
crafting effective pro-envitonment
laws that ate prcper\ implement-
ed," he said.