Urgently pass measures vs oil price hikes–solon

ATEACHER-SOLON on Wednesday urged the incoming 19th Congress to urgently pass legislative measures to ease the burden of successive big-time oil price hikes on the Filipino people.

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. France L. Castro said the Makabayan bloc will file five bills to mitigate the effects of the oil crisis.

“The consecutive big-time oil price hikes have taken a huge toll on our people. Prices of basic services and commodities like food have started to increase as well because of the high cost of fuel,” Castro said. “In the incoming 19th Congress, we, along with the other Makabayan progressive party-lists, will prioritize filing bills to mitigate effects of the oil crisis.”

Castro said among the measures to be filed are bills repealing the value-added tax (VAT) and excise taxes imposed on fuel and for the unbundling of oil prices to show transparency in oil and petroleum products.

Likewise, Castro said they will file a bill repealing the Oil Deregulation Law and enactment of a new policy framework to ensure that oil prices are within reasonable costs and regulated.

She said the bloc will also re-file the measure buying-back of Petron Corp. to provide the public with a state-owned alternative to acquire oil and petroleum products. Another bill seeks the establishment of a National Petroleum Exchange Corp. to serve as the central import and distribution hub of oil and petroleum products.

“The repeal of VAT and excise taxes imposed on fuel can already provide an average of P27 per liter. Unbundling the oil prices will give the people transparency and show the people where every peso spent per litter goes,” Castro added.

“Now, more than ever, the government must act with utmost urgency in the skyrocketing prices of oil. This matter needs an urgent response from the government or else the prices of basic goods will only continue to hike and more Filipinos will suffer from hunger,” Castro said.

She further explained that inflation rates are increasing and that the “value of the salaries of the Filipino ordinary worker continues to diminish.”

“Some benefits of those with regular jobs are even threatened,” Castro added.

She said the government can still choose to prioritize people’s welfare by prioritizing the enactment of these bills to be filed in the incoming 19th Congress.