Sen. Joel “TESDAMAN” Villanueva’s statement on the continued rise in fuel prices

Wala pa po tayong kasiguruhan kung kailan matatapos ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, ganun din po sa alitan sa Europa na tinuturong dahilan ng pagtaas. Hindi rin po natin alam kung kailan pa tayo makakakita ng pagbabago kung i-revisit pa natin ang oil deregulation law sa ngayon.

Mayroon po tayong Php5 billion sa Unprogrammed Funds na nakatuon para sa Fuel Subsidy Program ng gobyerno. Hinihiling po natin ang agarang aksyon mula sa gobyerno upang magamit ang budget na ito, at agarang maipamigay sa ating transport sector pati na rin sa mga ibang sektor na nangangailangan ng subsidy na ito.

Mga alternatibo na po ang kailangan nating ihain at ipursige para tulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan. Huwag na po nating ipilit ang working on-site itataas nito ang demand para sa gasolina. Meron na po tayong Telecommuting o Work From Home Law na nagpo-promote ng alternative working arrangements para sa mga employers.

Maaari ring pag-isipan ng DepEd at CHED ang blended online at face-to-face classes kaugnay nito, dahil na rin may pandemya pa tayo at may kailangan pa tayong marating na vaccination rate para sa kabataan.

Tinatawagan po natin ang DOLE para sa ipatupad ang batas na ito at magbigay ng sariling rekomendasyon sa harap ng pagtaas ng presyo ng gasolina at patuloy na paglaban sa pandemya. Ilang taon na rin po ang nakalipas nang maisabatas ang Telecommuting Law, kaya mahalaga ang tugon ng DOLE para matulungan ang ating mga manggagawa laban sa panibagong krisis na ito. Napatunayan namang pantay o higit pa ang productivity sa telecommuting. Our economy is fueled by the hard work of our people, not just gasoline.#

English:

We cannot yet fully see the end of the current fuel price increases, as well as the conflict in Europe that is cited as the reason for the increases. We cannot also ensure that we can bring about timely changes if we revisit the oil deregulation law now.

We have Php5 billion in Unprogrammed Funds for the government's fuel subsidy program. We ask for the government's swift action to use these funds and immediately distribute these to the transport sector and other sectors in need of this subsidy.

We need to offer and push for alternatives to help our countrymen. Let's not insist on working on-site if this increases the demand for fuel. We have the Telecommuting or Work From Home Law that promotes alternative working arrangements for employers.

In connection to this, DepEd and CHED can think about blended online and face-to-face classes, since we are still in a pandemic and we have yet to reach a certain vaccination rate for children.

We call on the DOLE to fully implement this law and give its own recommendation in the face of the rising costs of fuel and our continuing fight against the pandemic. It has been years since the passage of the Telecommuting Law, which is why DOLE's response is important so that we can help our workforce against this new crisis. Studies have shown that productivity is almost equal or even greater with telecommuting. Our economy is fueled by the hard work of our people, not just gasoline.