Considering the skyrocketing cost of fuel nowadays, the government should review its order for business process outsourcing (BPO) employees to return to their offices by April 1, former senator and incumbent Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Thursday.

Escudero said that aside from the threat of the Covid-19, the country now stands to suffer economically due to the weekly fuel price hikes that is also threatening to be another burden to consumers that would have to contend with the high cost of basic goods and services.

“Noong una, COVID-19 ang kalaban natin—at nandyan pa rin naman ang banta ng virus—pero ngayon tila mas malaking banta ang linggo-linggong pagtaas ng presyo ng petrolyo at ang nagbabadyang pagtaas din ng presyo ng mga bilihin (Initially, Covid-19 was our enemy—and the virus is still threat—but now it seems the weekly prike hikes of petroleum and the impending increases of prices of goods have also become a threat),” Escudero said in a statement.

“Kung kaya rin lang naman nila magtrabaho at maging produktibo sa bahay, bakit pa natin pipiliting bumiyahe ang mga tao (If they can work and be more productive while at home, why do we have to insist on having the people commute to work)?” he pointed out.

“Baka pwedeng huwag na muna tayo dumagdag sa gastusin kasi nagsisimula pa lang tayo bumangon, at ito na nga, may kinakaharap na naman tayong bagong problema. Pwede bang status quo muna habang nag-iisip tayo ng solusyon (Maybe we should stop adding to the cost, because we are just starting to recover, and we have a new problem at hand. Maybe we should declare a status quo while thinking of a solution)? ” the former lawmaker said.

Escudero, who is seeking a Senate comeback in the upcoming May 2022 elections, lamented that Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III seems to be out of touch with the realities faced by people on the ground.

Because just recently, he noted that Dominguez has proposed new and or increasing excise taxes so the government can pay its foreign debts which the public should not even be paying.

“Ngayon, ito na naman—gustong pabalikin ang mga BPO workers sa opisina kahit ang presyo ng gas ay halos isandaan na (Now this—he wants BPO workers to return to their offices when the price of gasoline is almost a P100),” Escudero pointed out.

“Talaga bang napakahirap ilagay ang sarili nila sa lugar ng ordinaryong Pilipino (Is it really hard for them to put themselves in the place of ordinary Filipinos)? Can we not show a little compassion?” he said.

As of March 16, Escudero noted the pump prices of gas and diesel have reached P94/liter and P84/liter, respectively. Public utility vehicles have also asked to increase their fare to cut their losses.

“This is why I have always said that the people who make policies and regulations should not do so from the comfort of their airconditioned offices, oblivious to the plight of those who struggle daily and who have to live with the decisions made by officials in glass towers,” Escudero said.