Finally, the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. has faced the awful reality: that the war in the Middle East is pushing the Filipino people on the brink of starvation and penury.
In past days, members of the Marcos cabinet have repeatedly downplayed the impacts of the ongoing conflict in Iran to the prices of oil products.
But, as the old Filipino saying goes, "bagoong ay takpan man, pilit pa ring aalingasaw."
This was evidenced not only by the skyrocketing prices of oil products - which, as of the writing of this article, have reached as high as P125 per liter, almost double from P50 to P60 last month - but also the domino effect on the prices of basic goods and commodities.
Last week, the Marcos administration, after insisting that there is "no crisis," finally gave in to reality and declared a State of National Energy Emergency.
The declaration, according to Malacañang Palace, will enable the government to implement coordinated measures to ensure stable and adequate energy supply while mitigating the impact on the economy.
Too little, too late, Mr. President.
The skyrocketing cost of petroleum products have reportedly forced many small businesses and stakeholders in the transportation sector to halt their operations - for some, it seems, permanently.
The paradox is that it is the transport sector that commuters and motorists now look up to to save money, as high costs of petrol products force car owners to leave their vehicles behind and find other ways of transportation.
Meanwhile, Congress, it seemed, is more concerned with bickering for political maneuvering and the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte than passing much-needed (urgent, as even President Marcos himself has emphasized) measures to address the crisis.
It’s telling that even as some senators have highlighted the urgency of the situation by publicly repudiating officials’ insistence that there is “no crisis,” the Lower House has been tardy in passing some measures that would have granted immediate relief for ordinary citizens, including giving the President authority to suspend excise taxes on petroleum products.
While our legislators bicker for political survival and the executive branch dilly-dallies in pressing for measures, the Filipino people may face a real penitensya this Holy Week.
Susmaryosep!
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