President-elect Bongbong Marcos on Monday said he was more inclined to provide direct assistance or ayuda to those affected by the rising oil prices than suspend the excise tax on fuel products.
Reducing fuel excise tax does not necessarily help those who are directly affected by the energy crisis, Marcos told reporters in an interview.
READ: More Fuel Price Hikes are Coming in June, DOE Says
"I prefer to handle the problem on the other side of the equation and provide assistance to those who are in need. Because if you reduce excise taxes, that does not necessarily help those who are most in need, yung talagang tinatamaan kasi blanket e," he said.
"Ang aking iniisip, kung sino ang talagang tinatamaan, example yung transport, yung nagpapasada, all of that, yung tinamaan kaagad, i-focus muna natin sa kanila, yung mga nangangailangan talaga," he added.
Fuel prices have been on the rise since the beginning of the year as a result of the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which causes disruptions in global trade.
Pump prices are set to increase for the third straight week on Tuesday, June 21, with the cost of diesel rising by P3.10 per liter and gasoline by P0.80 per liter.
Marcos hopes to improve the distribution of assistance to affected individuals by accelerating the issuance of the national ID.
"All of these things that we are trying to digitize the bureaucracy, it all really depends upon everyone having their national ID and a good database for the government that the government should have," he added.
Last week, Russian Ambassador Marat Pavlov met with Marcos and assured him that Russia is ready to assist the Philippines in tempering rising fuel prices and address other issues concerning the energy sector.
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