Scrap oil deregulation law, remove excise tax on petroleum products – updates from the peasant movement of the Philippines

𝐹𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑛𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐹𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑠

For the 10th consecutive week, oil prices increased again today with an additional ₱0.40 per liter on diesel and ₱0.20 on gasoline.

With the latest adjustments, the year-to-date increase of gasoline is by ₱15.50 per liter, diesel by ₱11.10 per liter, and kerosene by ₱7.74 per liter.

Oil prices have incessantly hiked for the past ten weeks, pushing prices of food and non-food items to a new high. Government inaction on OPH is an affront to consumers bearing the brunt of high food inflation. High fuel prices are also causing domino effects on the cost of living and agricultural production, says KMP Secretary-General Ronnie Manalo who noted that farmers shell out an estimated ₱1,653 more for 190 liters of diesel used per hectare of palay (unhusked rice) every cropping.

KMP said the seemingly unstoppable oil price hike is unacceptable as Filipinos reel from the ill-effects of weekly oil price adjustments. “Sampung linggo nang tumataas ang presyo ng langis at walang ginagawa ang Department of Energy at gobyerno. Bawat pagtaas ng presyo ng langis, instant din ang pagtaas ng mga presyo ng bilihin laluna ng pagkain,” Manalo added.

Manalo reiterated the demand of consumers to immediately suspend excise taxes on oil. The farmer-leader said temporarily suspending or removing the excise tax and VAT on oil products will benefit the general public as it will instantly slash oil pump prices by at least ₱12 to ₱17 per liter and temporarily diffuse the debilitating impact of weekly OPH.

“Dapat alisin ang excise tax para bumaba ang presyo ng langis, at dapat na magbigay ng sapat na ayuda at mga subsidyo. Sana ito ang ikonsidera at ipatupad ng gobyerno sa lalong madaling panahon.”

KMP also reiterated the popular call to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law. ###