Senator Joel Villanueva has called as "oppressive" the Commission on Elections' (Comelec) spending ban on government offices as members of various industries are in need of subsidies due to increasing oil price hike.
Villanueva on Tuesday urged the poll body to suspend its moratorium on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) as he said it does only negatively affect drivers, but also farmers and fisherfolk whose operations depend on fuel.
"The call of the hour is to step on the gas in distributing this aid, and not to step on the brakes," he said in a statement.
"This is a critical lifeline to crucial sectors impacted by the high gas prices. So a moratorium is not only unjust, it is oppressive," he added.
Villanueva renewed his call for the government to expedite the distribution of the P2.5 billion fuel subsidy to the transport sector, and increase the P500 million fuel subsidy program for farmers and fisherfolk. He also called for an additional fuel subsidy for fishermen.
Citing studies, he said fuel accounts for half of the operating cost of fishermen, "which translates to half of the retail prices of fish we see in the market."
"Any moratorium effectively cancels any proposal from the government to increase the budget of the program and the number of beneficiaries," he said.
"Employment and economic relief should not be a casualty of election. Feeding the nation, transporting the people, pandemic recovery should not take a back seat to polls," he added.