17/04/2026
UNITY STATEMENT OF PANAYANON YOUTH IN SUPPORT AND JOINING THE TRANSPORT AND PEOPLEโS STRIKE
Panayanon Youth Support and Join the Transport and Peopleโs Strike!
We, the alliance of student councils, student organizations, student unions, and youth formations across the island of Panay, stand united in upholding studentsโ rights and welfare. Together with the toiling Filipino people, we express our full support for the Peopleโs Strike and call for the junking of the inutile Oil Deregulation Law that enables unbridled oil price hikes at the expense of workers and the broader public.
From January to March 24, oil prices have already increased by โฑ75.00 per liter. For a jeepney driver who needs at least 20 liters of fuel per day, this translates to โฑ1,500 in additional daily expenses, drastically reducing the income of transport workers who already struggle to make ends meet.
These price increases are not happening in isolation. Continuing geopolitical conflicts caused by the imperialist wars of aggression launched by the United States in oil-producing regions like Iran contribute to instability in global oil prices. Yet it is the ordinary people, drivers, workers, farmers, fisherfolk, and consumers who ultimately bear the burden of these global crises through rising oil costs and the increasing prices of basic commodities.
In the Philippines, the impact of these global developments is worsened by the Oil Deregulation Law, which allows oil companies to impose unchecked price increases without effective government intervention. The domino effect of rising fuel costs drives up the prices of basic goods and services, affecting the daily lives of millions of Filipinos.
In Panay, jeepney drivers and operators are already facing the threat of livelihood loss due to the governmentโs PUV Phaseout policy. The continuous increase in fuel prices further worsens their situation, forcing drivers to either reduce their daily operations or raise faresโplacing an additional burden on commuters.
Students and youth are not exempt from these impacts. Rising fuel costs lead to higher transportation expenses, increased prices of food and basic necessities, and greater financial strain on families. Many students come from households of transport workers, farmers, fisherfolk, and laborers who directly suffer from these economic pressures. As the cost-of-living rises, many families are forced to make difficult choices between sustaining their livelihood and continuing their childrenโs education.
If commuters will be burdened by the โฑ2.00 increase, how about our jeepney drivers who are going to be burdened by โฑ75.00 increase in oil prices.
The response of the national government has been grossly inadequate. Instead of addressing the structural causes of oil price hikes, it has merely offered a โฑ2.5 billion subsidy program, equivalent to about โฑ5,000 per jeepney driver, which is clearly insufficient and excludes many other sectors affected by the crisis.
As youth and student leaders across Panay, we cannot remain silent while transport workers and ordinary Filipinos bear the burden of this worsening economic crisis. The youth must stand with those who bring us to school every day and who keep our communities moving:
1. We therefore call on students, youth organizations, and educational institutions across Panay to stand in solidarity with transport workers and the Filipino people by joining and supporting the Peopleโs Transport Strike on April 21.
2. We call on all school administrations across Panay to suspend face-to-face classes on April 21 in consideration with the Peopleโs Strike that will be conducted.
3. We call on all local government units, including city and provincial councils, to declare April 21 a Peopleโs Holiday and support the legitimate demands of transport workers and the Filipino people.
At this critical moment, unity and collective action are necessary to defend the livelihood of transport workers and to demand genuine solutions to the worsening economic crisis.
โ SUPPORT AND JOIN THE PEOPLEโS TRANSPORT STRIKE
โ PROMOTE PEOPLEโS BAYANIHAN
โ JUNK THE OIL DEREGULATION LAW
โ HOLD THE MARCOS GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE
โ IMPLEMENT FARE HIKE & โฑ1,200 FAMILY LIVING WAGE
โ CONDEMN IMPERIALIST WARS WORSENING THE CRISIS
๐ STRIKE CENTERS
โข Ungka Terminal
โข Tagbak Terminal
โข UP Visayas โ Infante Flyover
โข La Paz
โข Mandurriao
โข Molo
โข Jaro