Palace to study pay hike for gov’t workers | Headlines. Inaction on oil price hikes will lead to unrest, Diokno warns. By: Michelle Orosa-Ople, News5 March 20, 2012 3:28 PM InterAksyon.comThe online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE - 4:02 p.m.) The head of an independent review committee created by the Department of Energy to review the pricing mechanisms of oil companies warned that continued government inaction on incessant fuel price hikes will lead to unrest.
"Kung wala kang ginagawa, dapat mag-worry ka. He also chided President Benigno Aquino III for professing helplessness in the face of the oil price hikes. "The worst thing you can do is say, ‘Wala kaming magagawa.’ “They are not searching for solutions out of the box,” he added, as he pointed out that there are so many taxes “we have to rationalize it.”
Diokno said the administration appeared overly concerned with credit upgrades, which he said are not needed since the country has enough money. He suggested that the government adjust down the Value Added Tax when oil prices increase and raise it again when oil prices go down. Fuel price hike pulls down Philippine leader's ratings. Christine O. Avendaño and Lawrence de Guzman Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date : 03-04-2012 Sharp increases in fuel prices that inevitably push up the cost of living may have pulled down public satisfaction with the performance of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III from “very good” to “good,” a lawmaker and a labuor leader said Monday. Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone said the past quarter saw a series of fuel price increases that was beyond the control of the president, but the lawmaker added the people did not want to accept any explanation justifying the spike.
"Of course, people won’t accept the fact that prices of oil are being dictated by international market forces. Except among the upper and middle classes, public satisfaction with Aquino’s performance dipped in the D and E socioeconomic groups and across geographic areas in the first quarter, according to results of a nationwide survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS). Governance Low wages, joblessness. Philippine govt admits it can’t stop oil price hike.
Aquino admits power to control oil price hikes, but won't use it yet. Escudero wants inquiry on oil price hikes. Palace: Philippine Government doing its best to cushion oil price hikes impact. MALACAÑANG said Sunday that the Aquino administration has been trying to do its best to cushion the impact of the rising oil prices. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government has been providing assistance to the sectors, which are greatly affected by the oil price hikes. "If you know how the world market is, we can see what the limitations are and because we belong to deregulated industry.
As we can see, we are not lacking on our action and because of the limitations, given that we do not produce our own oil, we buy it, that means we are subject to market forces," she said over radio station dzRB. "The government is doing what it can to provide assistance to the industries or to the sectors that need the assistance the most," she added. The Department of Energy has started releasing P1,200 each worth of fuel assistance to about 100,000 public transport card holders under the Pantawid Pasada Program. Oil firms, Aquino warned of nationwide protests vs oil price hikes. MANILA – Drivers and operators allied with Piston (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide) held an early morning noise barrage at Anda Street in Manila this Wednesday to protest what was then still looming as another round of oil price hike.
On the same day, they marched to meet with a bigger group of protesters from the multisectoral alliance Bayan and Kilusang Mayo Uno. They held a louder and longer noise barrage in front of one of the gas stations of Petron, one of the leading oil firms in the so-called Big Three operating in the Philippines. With placards requesting the motorists to honk their horn in agreement with the protesters – many motorists honked in response as they passed by – activists held a program interspersed with noise-making to sound their alarm at the unchecked “profiteering” of the oil companies, and “inaction” of the Aquino government.
On Thursday, the oil companies pushed ahead with their price hikes. Alternatives Not just the drivers’ protests. PNoy not to blame for oil price hikes: analyst. MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino should not be blamed for oil price increases and resulting difficulties being felt by the public, a political analyst said Monday. Oil prices hikes are caused by circumstances beyond the president's control such as unrest in the Middle East, according to Dr. Clarita Carlos, a professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and president of the Center for Asia Pacific Studies Inc. "Ang mga factors kase na dahil tumataas ang gasolina, at itong sunod-sunod nito, ay wala naman sa control ng Pangulo o maski sino. Ayan ay nangyayari dahil may threat na lusubin ng Israel ang Iran, kaya nagkakaroon ng mga talagang... tumataas at tumataas ang presyo ng gasolina," she explained.
"So yung mga factors ay wala sa jurisdiction ng Pilipinas. She said the oil price hikes may have been one of the reasons behind the dip in Aquino's satisfaction rating. She said some people may have become impatient over reforms being implemented by Aquino.