The call to suspend the excise on oil products in the face of price increases is not getting the support one would expect it to get in an election season.
Candidates for national positions have not joined the call made by some legislators even if doing so would have made them look sympathetic to the plight of motorists and consumers. Even if they or President Rodrigo Duterte have kept mum (no word as of this writing) about this proposal, there should at least be a discussion on why the suspension cannot happen and what alternatives there are to cushion the impact of the price increases.
The two leading candidates for president according to surveys—Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.—have so far not issued a statement to address the oil price increases that will continue, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Duterte made no mention of ways to address rising prices in his one-on-one interview with Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar Friday night, February 25, 2022.
House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate has suggested that President Duterte call for a special session of Congress to approve the suspension of the tax on oil for at least six months. Other legislators who support the tax suspension are 1-Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero and Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor.
Congress is not in session because of the campaign period for the May 9 elections. It will resume sessions on May 23. But the Constitution says the President has the power to convene Congress any time while on a break.
Fuel prices have been going up for eight consecutive weeks because of short supply of oil in the global market due to the pandemic. Add to that the Russia-Ukraine crisis that is expected to push the price of a barrel of crude oil to past the US$100 level. The impact on Filipinos would be higher prices for oil and consumer goods and services.
Reports said that suspending the excise would bring down prices by as much as P6 per liter for diesel, P10 for gasoline, P5 for kerosene, and P33 per 11-kilogram cylinder for liquefied petroleum gas. This will bring fuel prices back to the level of the end of last year.
Aside from the tax suspension proposal, government officials have pushed for subsidies for those in the public transport system to help cushion the impact of rate adjustments. They also urged oil companies to bear some of the burden instead of focusing on profit margins.
Consumers can do their part by limiting travel or going on an oil price hunt or a search for the cheapest fuel or stations that give discounts.
What is happening in Ukraine is what people have been talking about since its invasion by Russia last Thursday, yet there is no clamor for action from officials in the Philippine executive and legislative branches and from election candidates.