Ad Hoc Committee binuo sa Kongreso laban sa pagtaas ng presyo ng gas

BINUO ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso ang isang ad hoc Committee para pag-usapan ang mga hakbang na maaaring gawin sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo.

Ayon sa pinuno ng House Committee on Economic Affairs, Rep. Sharon Garin, pinangangambahan ang halos P5 pagtaas sa presyo ng gasolina sa mga darating na araw.

“This assembly is critical because no one is spared from the effects of the continuous price hikes of fuel. The rising prices of domestic petroleum will have a direct effect on our economic stability, just when we are starting to relax our restrictions due to Alert level 1,” ani Garin.

“I know that the department of Energy has assured us that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have no direct impact on our nation’s supply. Nonetheless, the purpose of this meeting is to work towards a feasible solution to help cushion the impact of this crisis. Together with our colleagues from various agencies, we are looking into how we could further improve existing government initiatives such as the Pantawid Pasada Program, Direct Cash Subsidy Program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act 2, and fuel discounts as possible forms of assistance,” paliwanag ni Garin.

“The incessant oil price hike for the past 10 weeks is a result of the ongoing geopolitical tensions that we may be helpless to prevent. But we are not incapable of finding solutions to how it is affecting our country. All industries, especially our transportation sector, will be grossly affected. DOE data have shown that from January to March alone, diesel prices per liter have increased by as much as 12 pesos,” dagdag ng mambabatas.

Aniya, kawawa ang ordinaryong pasahero sa napipintong pagtaas ng pasahe.

Kinakailangang umaksiyon agad ang Kongreso dahil ang nakaambang krisis sa produktong petrolyo ay makaaapekto sa pangunahing bikihin.

Sinuportahan ni Garin ang panawagang special session para talakayin ang mga panukalang suspendehin ang excise tax sa produktong petrolyo.

“Another significant and most painful impact of this incessant increase is what we call the ‘sticky price’ phenomenon – retailers do not usually lower their prices even when oil prices eventually go down. We are all consumers and all of us will be affected. We cannot afford to just sit and watch events take their due course. We must act now,” ani Garin. (GERRY BALDO)