Malacañang said a state of emergency may be declared if fuel and commodity prices continue to spike, drawing criticism from a labor group that urged immediate government action.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. could consider declaring a national emergency depending on how the situation develops.
“Pwedeng mangyari 'yan katulad ng nangyari doon sa bagyo, lindol. Hindi pa napag-uusapan sa ngayon pero maaring magdeklara kapag nagkataon, kapag tama na ang sitwasyon. Kapag nakita naman natin na umaabuso lang,” Castro said in a radio interview Wednesday.
“Hindi maiiwasan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng fuel dahil sa tuloy-tuloy na nangyayari sa Middle East so titignan natin kung ‘yung pagtaas ba ng presyo ng basic commodities ay dapat,” she added.
Under a state of emergency, the President may exercise special powers to manage the crisis, including mobilizing government resources, enforcing price controls, and implementing expedited procurement measures.
However, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) criticized Castro’s remarks, saying the government should already treat the situation as an emergency.
“The Undersecretary missed the point. A declaration of a state of national emergency is critical for the Government to expeditiously and decisively act in confronting the fast-unfolding crisis of runaway oil prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East,” the group said in a statement.
“It is alarming and unfortunate that the Palace Press Officer’s first instinct is not urgency but denial. Kung hindi ‘national emergency’ ang sunod-sunod at sabay-sabay na pagtaas ng historic record-high na presyo ng petrolyo habang record-low naman ang halaga ng piso, at hirap na ang sambayanang Pilipino, ano po ba ang tawag ng gobyerno dito?” it added.
Castro, in a separate interview, maintained that the country is not yet in a crisis.
The TUCP countered that President Marcos himself has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation by certifying as urgent a measure allowing him to suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel.
“Sadly, Undersecretary Castro is not only badly serving the Administration but is, in effect, contradicting the President himself. The President has already recognized the conditions that justify emergency powers, and clearly, we are in an emergency,” the group said.
The labor group urged the government to explore all available measures to cushion the impact of rising oil prices, including the possible exercise of emergency powers to enforce pricing transparency and, if necessary, a temporary price freeze.
“Ang pagkilala na tayo ay nasa ‘national emergency’ ay hindi pananakot kundi pamumuno. You cannot prepare for an emergency while publicly denying that one exists. The Government must not only be in control but must be first and foremost quick in cushioning the impact of this crisis on ordinary workers,” TUCP said.
The group also proposed mitigation measures, including the suspension of excise tax and VAT on fuel and electricity, free public transportation, expanded emergency loans, and wage subsidies for workers and small businesses.