If only to awaken public consciousness to the ever escalating fuel crisis and the need to find alternative sources of power and fuel, transport holidays or strikes are a necessary part of our economic life. Philippines being an oil-deficient country has to concentrate on finding alternatives to petroleum to run power plants, industries and the transport systems. Being a third world country, the focus of the transport sector had been cheap or low investment transportation which only diesel and gasoline fed engines can provide. This makes us hostage to the cartels that control petroleum, not only the OPEC but most importantly the importers and traders.
Even as the 2 days strike or holiday has crippled Iloilo City and most of Panay Island, the actions should not worry us. It is the implication that without such struggles, these petroleum suppliers would only act smug and content that somehow, they can raise fuel prices at will with the government helpless since it had already deregulated the industry. Their loss in Iloilo City for the 2 days of almost total public transport standstill is substantial- the transport groups estimate their collective loss at about PhP 19 million while government lost P2 in VAT collections.
The protesters themselves suffered too. For the last 2 days, the drivers and their families joined the picket or congregation areas and they were not able to earn. They shared food which seemed inadequate but even with such inadequacy, their spirits were high- they shared a cause that would redound to the benefit of the silent majority.
But holidays and strikes should transpose to a higher level. There needs to be some pro-action from the leaders and their supporters on how to become independent of petroleum. While the mass transport for Iloilo City will remain petroleum based, there are already alternatives worth exploring, although the investment requirement would be high. CNG or compressed natural gas is already a reality in many parts of the world. Natural gas deposits off the coast of Mindoro is now commercially available but Panay and even Mindoro have not yet taken advantage of this local resource.
India and other Asian-continental countries have developed buses and even mid-sized commercial vehicles running on CNG. But in the Philippines, until now government is still on trial basis with almost no effort for a fast push toward mass implementation. We seem to be hostage to the giant oil companies who still want a strangle hold on the supply by stiffling research for full commercialization. The reason is obvious- they will lose their market once CNG becomes the major source of energy for mass transport. Thus they will cite various reasons and would not exert any effort to convert from petrol to CNG.
Electric mass transport is another option that needs attention badly. The e-jeeps donated by Mr. Rommel Ynion to Iloilo City should be monitored even by the transport group so that after a period of say 2 years, the findings should be evaluated and if found commercially feasible, they, the transport groups may now opt to adopt these vehicles for their members and free themselves of the stranglehold of the petroleum cartel. They can form viable cooperatives and seek financing so that as a group, they can convert the majority of their fleet to electric-powered vehicles.
Government on the other should now seriously think of mass transport systems for Iloilo. While seemingly not feasible at this point, there may be some systems that will emerge in the future where mass transportto convey pasengers from the suburbs to the heart of Iloilo City. This would not sit well with the present transport groups, but again, government should find ways to shift drivers and small operators livelihood from driving to other gainful employment.
Yes, the transport holiday should be seen in a positive light by all sectors. The inconvenience it caused to many should only be a temporary distraction in the otherwise complicated conditions of everyday life. The most important learning this time is to get people to think of the options available. The focus is for everybody to think of way to wean us away from petroleum.
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