Transport came to a standstill on the streets of Manila yesterday. Hundreds of drivers staged a protest against the rising of oil prices.
Transport organizations staged a protest drive along the streets of Philippine's capital. The hundreds of trucks, public utility vehicles and trisikads were stopped by police.
As they were not able to reach Manila's presidential palace, they initiated a noise barrage. The groups are calling for an immediate lowering of fuel prices and the scrapping of added taxes on oil products.
[Odelan Sorreda, Truck Driver]: "I'm not the only one who wants lower oil prices. I think all of us do, especially my fellow drivers."
[Ronnie Pagunusan, Trisikad Driver]: "Our livelihoods are being sucked dry. Before, we used to earn 600 pesos a day, but because of the price increases we now take home only half of that amount."
Global oil prices have been increasing steadily in the past months. But last May it spiked to $135 U.S. dollars per barrel for the first time in history.
