Fishermen in the Philippines on Sunday threatened to launch a "fish strike" if the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to stop the oil companies from raising and overpricing the prices of petroleum products in the country.

"If fish strikes across the country are necessary to compel the Macapagal-Arroyo government and the oil mafia composed Petron, Shell and Caltex to stop, rollback and put an end to corporate practices of price manipulation and overpricing, then we will call our colleagues to go on a nationwide fish holiday," the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas said in a press statement.

The proposed fish strikes will call on the municipal fisherfolk owners of 177,627 motorized bancas not to fish during the December 13 National Day of Protest Against Oil Price Increases initiated by the People's Unity Against Oil Price Increase, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakpawis party list and the transport group Piston.

"President Arroyo and the oil cartel should be taught a lesson of a lifetime. They must be stopped from killing all people from walks of life through corporate exploitation and plunder," said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.

Hicap said the scenario where fisherfolk owners of 177, 627 motorized small fishing boats across the country could no longer bear the brunt of rising prices of petroleum products, and such scenario may soon compel to abandon their 4 to 16 horsepower motors, and go back to wood paddles to fish.