Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said that the P200 monthly subsidy to be given to the poor Filipino families amid the continuous oil price hike is not enough.
In a statement, Poe said the government must not be frugal in terms of giving cash assistance to the poor Filipinos, saying a P200 per month subsidy, which is equivalent to P6.66 a day, cannot even afford a daily jeepney ride.
"Mula sa 11 linggong sunud-sunod na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, kakarampot ang P200 kada buwang ayuda para sa ating mahihirap na pamilya (For the past 11 weeks of continuous oil price hike, the P200 monthly subsidy is very small for the poor Filipino families)," she said.
"Hindi dapat tipirin ng gobyerno ang pagbibigay ng tulong sa ating mga mamamayan upang mapakain nila ang kanilang mga pamilya, makapamuhay ng marangal, makabalik sa hanapbuhay nang ligtas at mapanumbalik ang sigla ng ekonomiya (The government shouldn't be frugal in terms of giving assistance to the people, so they could feed their families, live with dignity and be able to return to work safely and revive the economyu)," she added.
On Wednesday morning, President Duterte approved the recommendation to retain the fuel excise tax under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN).
But Poe still hoped that the suspension of the said tax must be considered carefully.
She also called for an increase in the amount of monthly subsidy because the current amount "is not enough to sustain the needs of our fellow countrymen."