Gabriela Women's Party Stormed Pilipinas Shell Office, Called The Rollback "Insignificant" And A "Form Of Trickery"

Protests against the rising prices of oil took a creative twist as members of Gabriela Women's Party today stormed Pilipinas Shell head office in Makati, where they hurled slippers against Shell's main building while "Gasolinda" danced and belted out a song of protest to dramatize their condemnation of the recent spate of oil price hikes and the Oil Deregulation Law. "Gasolinda" is inspired by the hit Mexican telenovela Rosalinda.

"Women and our families bear the brunt of the soaring prices of basic ommodities. We protest against the profit-hungry oil giants to save our families from hunger. The future of our families inspires us to think of creative ways to voice out our protests," Gabriela Women's Party Secretary General Cristina Palabay said.

The said protest action took place on the same day that Shell, Caltex and Petron rollbacked the price of diesel by P1.50, after Pres. Arroyo's reported appeal to the oil companies.

Palabay called Arroyo's talks with the oil companies to rollback prices of diesel products as "another Malacanang trickery to make up for Arroyo's negative 38 approval ratings in the SWS and a propaganda scheme in time for her coming State of the Nation Address."

"The P1.50 rollback is insignificant compared to the P24-total of the 20-time price increases imposed by the oil giants on diesel this year. Only this weekend, price of diesel rose by P3 a liter. With the rising discontent and protests of the people, we do not buy this drama starring Arroyo and the oil giants, Shell, Petron and Caltex. The P1.50 rollback is not a sacrifice at all by the three big oil companies," Palabay said.

Palabay also cited the research of Ibon Foundation disputing the "Big Three's" claim of under-recoveries as their mother companies continue to gain billions of profits.

"The Big Three's assertion of under-recoveries as a result of the hike of oil prices in the international market is already worn-out. Aided by the Oil Deregulation Law and the Arroyo government's callousness, they are unstoppable in amassing more billions by dictating the price of oil in the local market, " she added.

According to Ibon, Royal Dutch Shell posted net income of $27.6 billion, while Pilipinas Shell reported profits of P4.12 billion.
Chevron reported income of $18.7 billion, its local unit P2.75 billion in 2007. Petron reported profit of P5.94 billion. ###