SENATORS on Thursday called on the government to implement measures to counter inflation, which rose to 6.4% in August.
In a statement, Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay asked the government to prioritize the financial assistance programs to poor families who are the most affected with the rising prices of goods and services.
“We have to strengthen our initiatives to help ease the burden of inflation including the provision of financial assistance to poor families and discounts to the transport sector,” she said in a statement.
She said the government should also maximize government-to-government arrangements to obtain cheaper petroleum products, particularly diesel.
Senator Emmanuel Joel V. Villanueva said he is studying whether to call for the suspension of the fuel excise tax.
“We cannot wait for prices to get further out of control. The economic managers do not seem to be serious in dealing with the problem. So now, we are considering the option of joining our colleagues in reversing the fuel excise tax to at least temper this runaway price surge,” he said in a statement.
Senators Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, and Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV earlier called for the suspension of fuel excise taxes under the tax reform law due to the increasing prices of goods and services.
“If you go outside your offices and talk to Filipinos in the community, in the markets, you can’t deny that the high prices are a big problem,” Mr. Aquino said in a statement. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR