Noise Barrage Vs High Prices Set on April 2

Economic hardships belie benefits of economic growth, says Bayan

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) announced today that its planned noise barrage protest action to denounce increasing prices of basic commodities including rice and oil products is all set on April 2.

“We hold the Arroyo regime accountable for the unprecedented levels in the prices of rice and oil because of its anti-people economic policies. As far as I can remember, this is the first time that oil and rice have reached record prices at the same time. Both products are not simple goods but two of the most socially sensitive and highly political commodities. Arroyo cannot simply dismiss the high prices as a result of global market forces that are beyond government’s control”, Renato Reyes Jr., the group’s secretary general said.

Bayan argued that high prices of rice and fuel belie government claims of economic growth. “The Arroyo regime’s adherence to pro-market policies of liberalization, privatization, and deregulation has resulted to intolerable burdens on the poor. People are feeling the burden of high prices, not the benefits of so-called economic growth,” argued Reyes.

He cited the current rice crisis, which has increased the price of the country’s most important staple grain by more than P3 a kilo from last year as admitted by the Department of Agriculture (DA). “The unusually high price of rice is due to government’s neglect of local rice production, bias for rice importation and liberalization, privatization of the NFA (National Food Authority), and failure to break up the rice cartel”, the Bayan leader said.

Oil prices are also at record levels because of the continued implementation of the oil deregulation law and continued collection of the 12-percent value added tax (VAT), Reyes noted. Based on Bayan’s monitoring, the pump price of diesel is already nearing the P40 per liter mark and liquefied petroleum gas is now pegged at around P576 per 11-kg tank. “We have already warned that if the government will not intervene, prices of diesel could reach more than P46 a liter, gasoline at almost P50, and LPG, more than P708 per tank.

The planned noise barrage will be held along Espana Avenue in Manila. Mobile teams of activists will go around residential communities and public markets to explain the issues of high prices.

Protesters are expected to bring empty pots and pans, a reference to the rice and oil crisis.

“High fuel prices and rice prices have resulted in empty pots and pans for many Filipino families. These two kitchen utensils have again become signs of the times,” Reyes said.