With less than two months before a new government is sworn in, President Rodrigo Duterte warns that the next administration will have the difficult task of grappling with continuously rising oil prices.
Nearing the end of his six-year term, President Rodrigo Duterte is cautioning the next administration over oil price hikes
In a Sunday speech delivered in Clark, Pampanga, the president pointed to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the primary reason driving gasoline and diesel fuel prices upward.
“Talagang magdaan tayo ng hirap kaya nagpasalamat ako sa Diyos na nagtapos na ako. Bilisan na lang Niya ang mga araw kasi kawawa talaga itong susunod, tignan niyo. Hindi na hihinto ‘yan” he said.
(We are really going to suffer that’s why I am thankful to God that my term is about to end. I just want Him to speed up the days because whoever comes next would be pitiful. It won’t stop.)
Motorists in the country have endured fuel price increases since the start of the year
Fuel price increases have become a major talking point in the Philippines, which is currently counting the days to its next presidential election. Since 2022 started, there have been only three oil price rollbacks implemented in the country so far, the first of these taking effect on March 22, a month after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Duterte raised the possibility that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will become a war of attrition as each side seeks to wear down the other. “It will not end. It’s an attrition. Iyong patagalan na (Prolonging the) shooting each other there,” he added.
The Chief Executive also appealed to protesting transport groups for their understanding of the factors that contribute to oil price increases. “Every time that you complain and go into a demonstration, just make sure that you realize and understand the importance of oil and how it would affect all nations,” he said.
Apart from disbursing fuel subsidies to the transport sector, the government also resumed its Service Contracting Program
Among those bearing the brunt of oil price hikes is the transport sector. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) recently disbursed Php 1.75 billion in fuel subsidies to affected public drivers and operators, funded by the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
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