Reelectionist Senator Richard J. Gordon has urged Filipinos to resort to fuel-saving measures considering the recent increases in oil prices.
Gordon said that the government must also find ways to set aside stock of oil and gas as the Philippines is competing with other countries to get their supply.
The chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee pointed out that the increase in oil prices could not be prevented.
The United States has stopped the supply Russian oil and has to go to its strategic reserves, Gordon said during his campaign swing ins Bayugan city (Agusan del Sur) last week.
‘’When I was in Subic, we had 28 days of supply of oil sa mga tank farm namin (in our tank farms),” he added.
Over the past ten weeks, the world had faced a rise in fuel prices because of the Ukraine-Russian conflict.
Because of this, it is projected to cause the rise in the cost of electricity, travel, and goods, since they all use fuel to operate.
There is also a move by the public transportation sector to increase the minimum fare, directly due to the alarming increase in fuel costs. Oil companies recently increased prices in an unprecedented manner for diesel, gasoline, and kerosene.
Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said that the government should also take a page out of the book of the PRC by helping the most vulnerable citizens in alleviating their suffering from exorbitant prices through an Oil Stabilization Fund.
He also suggested that people find additional sources of income to help offset the losses caused by the oil price hike.
To help save in fuel consumption, Gordon urged families to carpool, invest on renewable energy sources at home, and for farmers to consolidate the delivery of their produce to the market.
Gordon has recently visited the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Norte as part of a two-day campaign stop by the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, where he is serving as guest candidate in the 12-person slate.