MAKABAYAN BLOC CALLS FOR EMERGENCY SESSION AS MARCOS DISMISSES THE OIL CRISIS WHILE FILIPINOS PAY THE PRICE

We, the Makabayan bloc, strongly condemn the Marcos regime’s claim that there is no oil crisis. War-driven disruptions in global supply and surging world prices have already hit Filipinos through punishing pump prices, rising electricity charges, and spiraling prices of basic goods. There is nothing to gain from wordplay about “adequate supply” while a price crisis is crushing people’s livelihoods. Malinaw ang krisis sa presyo, at krisis ito sa kabuhayan.

We denounce the administration’s denial and lack of urgency. Downplaying the crisis encourages complacency, delays action, and pressures the public to treat worsening hardship as normal. Wala nang normal sa sitwasyon ngayon; araw-araw na pinapabigat ang buhay ng manggagawa, drayber, magsasaka, kabataan, at maralita.

The measures announced so far remain grossly insufficient, especially for the transport sector and commuters. Fuel hikes are already reducing the availability of mass transport, and the oil shock has further worsened commuting conditions. Officials should stop pretending the situation is under control and instead face the reality of stranded commuters, long queues, and the growing time and cost it takes just to get to work and back. Hindi committee ang sagot kung walang agarang ginhawa.

A crisis committee will be meaningless if it refuses to recognize the severity of the situation and continues shielding the oil cartel and the deregulated system that enables profiteering. The government must prioritize concrete, pro-people steps: remove unjust oil taxes including excise and VAT on petroleum products; enforce real regulation and transparency to stop overpricing and profiteering; tax oil profits to fund subsidies and dismantle the failed Oil Deregulation Law framework that allows automatic pass-through and price manipulation. Hindi sapat ang pa-press release at price checks habang malaya ang kartel na magtaas at magkamal.

As it is we are raising the call for an emergency session of both Houses of Congress to pass urgent pro-people legislation.

We also urge the reallocation of pork barrel-style infrastructure spending and corruption-prone projects toward social services and direct subsidies for the poor and affected sectors, and the serious consideration of a moratorium on foreign debt payments and payments for foreign projects to free resources for urgent social needs. A long-standing crisis has been worsened by an imperialist war, yet the regime responds with denial, lifestyle sermons, and public relations. Insulto sa talino ng mamamayan ang pagsasabing huwag mag-alala at magbago na lang ng lifestyle habang patuloy ang pagdurugo ng kanilang kabuhayan. ###