By MARTY GO
ABS-CBN Bacolod
Transport groups in Negros Occidental on Tuesday said that they were dismayed at Monday’s President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
They said it did not give concrete and specific solutions in addressing the problem of high fuel prices in the country.
Jesse Ortega, United Negros Drivers Operators Center (UNDOC) secretary-general, said President Arroyo's resolve in not removing the Value-Added Tax is due to pressure from foreign banks for the country to pay its huge debt.
He added that the pronouncements of the president in her SONA were made just to improve her popularity ratings. He said she really has no intention to solve the economic crisis in the country.
Ortega said he thinks that President Arroyo could have ordered the oil companies in the country to lower their prices since the prices of oil in the world market have gone down already.
Elizabeth Katalbas, Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association (FEBACDA) president, meanwhile said there was no good news from the president's SONA.
She said the fuel subsidy that the government previously talked about was not given to transport groups in the province, thus, there was no support that has been given to them at all.
UNDOC and FEBACDA believes that not only the transport sectors but other sectors as well are dissatisfied with Mrs. Arroyo's SONA since the removal of VAT, they said, has been the greatest demand from the masses.
They said that they see a looming multi-sectoral nationwide protest action since they expect the economic crisis to worsen as country’s main concerns were not addressed.
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