Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson pressed the government on Tuesday, April 14 to explore more "targeted" interventions—including a potential fuel subsidy mechanism—to shield Filipinos from the cooling effects of the Middle East conflict on global oil prices.

In an interview, the veteran lawmaker suggested that instead of the usual "ayuda" or aid programs, economic managers should take a page out of the playbook of neighboring economies like Taiwan.

“Hindi ako nagmamarunong. Ang suggestion ko lang, pag-aralang mabuti kung anong mas nakakabuti sa sektor na talagang apektado (I am not playing a know-it-all, but my suggestion is to study ways to benefit the sectors that are directly affected),” Lacson said.

The senator’s pitch comes at a time when the suspension of fuel taxes remains a hot-button issue.

Lacson stressed that targeted assistance would be more effective than broad-based measures, noting that not all beneficiaries of ayuda are directly affected by fuel price increases.

He added that if the government is able to generate sufficient revenues, it could redirect funds to subsidize sectors most affected by rising fuel costs, such as transport workers and commuters.

Citing Department of Finance (DOF) data, Lacson noted the massive fiscal stakes involved.

Suspending excise taxes on fuel could result in a P200.899-billion revenue loss by 2027, while axing the Value-Added Tax (VAT) could drain another P119.326 billion. This totals to over P320 billion.

Rather than a blanket suspension that benefits even wealthy car owners, Lacson argued for a more surgical approach.

"Pag-aralan lang... ang revenue na di mawala, baka pwedeng pag-aralan para ilagak kung saan ang direktamenteng apektado. At di lang may kotse ang makikinabang (Study it... the revenue that won't be lost [if taxes aren't suspended] could be used to help the directly affected. Not just those with cars will benefit)," he explained.

Lacson also didn't pull his punches regarding the current cash aid system, which he claimed is often plagued by "politicking" and outdated beneficiary lists.

“Parang nahirati tayo sa ayuda... Ang masama nito, implementation—minsan mga leaders ng local government officials ang nakatala kasi nanggagaling sa barangay ang listahan (We’ve become accustomed to ayuda... The bad part is the implementation—sometimes it's the local leaders on the list because it comes from the barangay),” he lamented.

He stressed that the transport sector and ordinary commuters—the "directly affected"—were often left out of the loop in favor of those already on existing government lists.

Lacson further renewed his call for a shorter monitoring period as basis for suspending excise taxes, as he cited the “extraordinary situation” brought about by the Middle East conflict.