Senate President Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday, April 5, called for a decisive—even “extreme”—government intervention that would shield Filipinos from the relentless surge in petroleum prices.

Commuters board free rides provided by the Manila City Government on March 30, 2026. Some 1,400 public utility jeepneys (PUJs) are operating under the “Libreng Sakay” program led by Manila Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso, offering free transport to commuters while helping drivers cope with rising fuel costs. The program started on March 30, 2026. (Mark Balmores)

In an interview on radio DZBB, Lacson said the government ought to disclose its actions against “early” profiteers, noting that any relief from a potential excise tax suspension may not be felt until June, “if at all.”

There is also a need to ensure the proper use of some P230-billion in potential funds from the 2025 and 2026 General Appropriations Acts (GAA) to help sectors hit hardest by the fuel crisis.

“May mga batas na pwedeng gamitin ang provision ng mga batas na ito dahil may state of energy emergency. Ngayon kung paano i-implement yan, at kailan gagamitin, kailan i-implement at paano i-implement, yan ang mas importante (We have laws that can be implemented now that there is a state of national energy emergency. What is more important is how and when it will implement these),” Lacson said.

Under Republic Act No. 8479 or the Oil Industry Deregulation Act, the senator noted that the Department of Energy (DOE), under reasonable terms, may temporarily take over or direct the operation of any person or entity engaged in the industry especially during times of national emergency and when public interest is paramount.

Meanwhile, RA 12120 or the Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act, the DOE may temporarily take over or direct the operation of any person or entity engaged in the natural gas industry in times of national emergency, when public interest also requires.

Another law, the third law, RA 9511 - or the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) Franchise Act - allows the President to temporarily take over and operate the transmission system and/or subtransmission systems of NGCP, or suspend its operation in the interest of public safety, security, and welfare, with due compensation to the NGCP.

Lacson said that while these are extreme measures, the government needs to be “on their toes” to monitor the situation.

“At kung may talagang pag-aabuso ang sector na ito kailangan pumasok ang government, at least nakaamba para maging babala sa mapag abuso (And if it sees abuses in the sectors concerned, the government needs to step in, at least to serve as a warning against abuses),” he said, adding that the public must also remain vigilant.

But until now, Lacson lamented that the government has yet to update the public on how it was able to deal with erring gasoline stations and dealers.

Lacson said the public deserves to hear feedback on what happened to the offenders caught in plaing sight “raising fuel prices without authorization from the DOE or Energy Regulatory Commission.”

He pointed out that RA No. 12316, which grants the President emergency powers to deal with the oil problem by suspending or reducing excise taxes on petroleum products, requires a one-month monitoring period before fuel excise taxes can be suspended.

With the law taking effect on April 12, the lawmaker said monitoring can start only on that day—and May 12 is the earliest day that the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) can meet to recommend a possible suspension of the excise tax.

“With the slow bureaucracy, it may take until June for us to feel the relief from the suspension of the excise tax if at all,” he lamented.

Moreover, Lacson also emphasized the need for the state to wise usely the P230-billion potential funds from the 2025 and 2026 budgets, which include the almost P200-billion in unobligated and unreleased appropriations in the 2026 GAA and P31-billion in the 2025 GAA.

The government should plan well in granting financial assistance and ensure a data-driven system to ensure no political leaders or their relatives will benefit.

“Dapat planuhin ng gobyerno, malinaw ang direction, saan paggagamitan itong pondo na available, at kung saan gagamitin ang ibang power na nakapaloob sa state of energy emergency (The government must plan well, and have a clear direction on where to use the funds - as well as properly use the powers due to the state of energy emergency),” he said.

Caution on suspending VAT

On calls to suspend the value added tax however, Lacson cautioned the government against suspending the VAT for petroleum products as it may forgo more than P320-billion in revenues. 

“Hindi ganoon kasimple. Tinitingnan natin suspend-suspend para masiyahan ang kababayan pero ang impact sa GDP natin matindi. Tayo rin in the long or medium term tayo din ang matatamaan (It’s not that simple. Some calls for suspending the VAT may sound good to the people but its impact on our economy is huge. We may suffer in the long- or medium-term),” he pointed out.