Manila Mayor and presidential aspirant Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso lauded President Duterte on Thursday, March, 10, after the national government increased the fuel subsidy for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers by 50 percent, equivalent to P5 billion, amid the weekly increase in fuel prices caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“I am happy na ito ay ginagawa ni Pangulong Duterte at ng Gabinete. Basta sa kapakinabangan ng tao, I will support it. Salamat sa Pangulo (I am happy that this has been done by President Duterte and the cabinet. As long as it is for the benefit of the people, I will support it. Thank you Mr. President),” Domagoso said.

“Siyempre, masaya ako para sa mga drivers kasi ‘pag nagawa ng pamahalaan iyan, kahit papaano maibsan iyong pagkalugi sa kita nila pang araw-araw. Makikinabang rin ang mga pasahero dahil sa kahit papaano ay wala munang taas-pasahe (Of course I'm happy for our drivers because this will alleviate their hardships and losses every day. Commuters will also benefit from it because there will be no need for fare hikes),” he added.

The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer stressed that the economic crisis being felt by the country highlights the need for the government to seriously consider implementing his proposals to cut excise taxes of oil and electricity, and increase funding allocation for “ayuda” or aid to millions of affected Filipinos.

“Lugi sa palay, lugi sa sibuyas, lugi sa pananim. Next week yari na naman tayo, tataas na naman ang gasolina, pero ang sweldo hindi naman tumataas (There are big losses in rice, onions, crops. There will be another big burden to consumers as gasoline prices are set to go up again next week, meanwhile, the salary of people are not increasing)” Domagoso said.

“Ang pananaw ko sa gobyerno, kapag tao ang inuna mo, hindi ka na magkakamali. Sinabi ko na five months ago na sana umatras muna ang gobyerno. Bawasan natin ang buwis sa krudo ng 50 percent at buwis sa kuryente ng 50 percent. Ibig sabihin malulugi ng bahagya ang gobyerno pero kapakinabangan naman ng tao. Sa bawat lugi ng gobyerno, may savings ang tao (This is my vision of the government, if you prioritize the people, there won't be any mistakes. I already said it five months ago that the government should take a step back for awhile. It should decrease the taxes of fuel and electricity by 50 percent. This means that the government will incur losses, but this is for the benefit of the people. For every loss of the government, citizens have savings)," he explained.

In October last year, the Manila mayor appealed for the national government to cut by 50 percent the excise taxes on oil and electricity because of hardships being experienced by everyone, particularly the ordinary people who are most affected by the lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said this policy will have a higher impact in cushioning the effects of the economic crisis because it will be felt by Filipinos in all social classes.