Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jan Almario Chan echoed on Saturday, March 7 the urgent call from in and out of Congress to temporarily reduce or suspend excise taxes on oil imports and help cushion the impact of fuel price spikes on Filipino consumers.

According to Chan, granting President Marcos his request for the temporary authority or emergency powers to implement short-term tax relief measures is the proper recourse amid the hostilities in the Middle East--a major producer of crude oil.

The neophyte lawmaker noted that projections show local pump prices of fuel will increase in the coming weeks as an offshoot geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

“Given the situation worldwide, not just in the Philippines, this is something we should seriously consider, especially since there are already projections of possible fuel price increases in the coming weeks,” Chan said.

He noted that any sharp increase in fuel prices would likely trigger higher transportation costs, electricity rates, and prices of basic goods.

“Kapag tumaas ang presyo ng langis, domino effect ito sa ekonomiya. Tataas ang pamasahe, electricity costs, at pati presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin (When oil prices rise, it triggers a domino effect on the economy. Transportation fares, electricity costs, and even the prices of basic goods will all go up),” Chan added.

Chan stressed that the government must remain proactive in protecting consumers from external shocks in the global oil market, while ensuring that any tax relief measure remains targeted and temporary.

“The priority is to cushion the impact on ordinary Filipinos if global developments push fuel prices higher,” he said.