AMID the big-time price hike on fuels, senatorial bets Monsour Del Rosario and Dr. Minguita Padilla also called for the temporary suspension of excise tax on these products.
Del Rosario, a former taekwondo Olympian and actor, is from Bacolod City.
He said the increase in fuel consumption results in high living expenses, the reason the government should do an immediate action by releasing the subsidies for drivers.
For long-term solutions, Del Rosario said the National Government should make sure its compliance with the Biofuels Act.
"Since we are not an oil producing country, the government should focus more on promoting alternative fuels like solar energy for big businesses and buildings," the senatorial aspirant said.
Meanwhile, Padilla said President Rodrigo Duterte should call for the Congress to have a special session to suspend excise tax on fuels.
"By temporarily suspending the excise tax, fuel prices will go down, and we should bring back the cap on the taxes like what the government did during the Bayanihan 2," she said.
"We have to put another cap because fuel prices have been going up that much and it will surely have a domino effect on food, electricity, water and everything will go up," Padilla also said.
The senatorial aspirant also bared that work from home strategy should also be observed like what most offices did at the height of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
The bill on work from home practice was authored by Del Rosario when he was still the representative of Makati, Padilla noted.
"With the high prices of fuels, employees do not need to go to their offices and work from home should be observed to minimize fares, pollution and avoid traffic congestion," she added.
Prices of fuels increased anew Tuesday, March 15, with diesel at P13.15 per liter, gasoline by P7.10 per liter and kerosene by P10.50 per liter.
Del Rosario and Padilla who are running under Partido Reporma were in the province on Monday, March 14.