More jeepneys join Bacolod strike

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—More jeepneys kept off the streets Tuesday morning as the strike against higher fuel prices in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City entered its second day.

Bacolod City police director Senior Superintendent Ricardo de la Paz placed the strike participation by public utility vehicles at 70 percent compared to 60 percent the day before. So far the two-day strike has been peaceful, de la Paz said.

Taxis and tricycles, however, continued to ply the streets.

Jesse Ortega, secretary general of the United Negros Drivers Operators Center (Undoc), estimated strike participation at 85 to 90 percent.

The Undoc, business groups and other sectors are protesting that people in Negros Occidental have to pay P4 to P5 more per liter than Metro Manila for fuel.

The price disparity has been exorbitant, according to Frank Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Carbon said Phoenix Oil, a smaller oil player, has informed him that it was putting up an oil depot in Bacolod City and would sell fuel at cheaper rates than the “big-three” oil companies operating in the province.