By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

“Wala naman tayong dino-downplay. Ito po kasi ang totoong sitwasyon, nagsusumikap po ang pamahalaan, sa utos ng Pangulo, na dapat hindi magkulang ang supply ng produktong petrolyo.”

In a bid to combat misinformation and guide the citizenry as they brace for yet another wave of big-time oil price hikes, Malacañang has issued clarifications regarding its position on the current national issue that is hurting motorists’ wallets.

At a briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that the country is only dealing with a “price disruption” and not an insufficiency in the supply of petroleum products.

Castro told the media, “Sa ngayon ay hindi pa kinokonsidera na meron tayong oil crisis dahil kumpleto po tayo at enough po ang supply ng langis. Nagpupursige po ang DOE at ang pamahalaang ito sa utos na rin po ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. na hindi mapatid ang supply ng langis o produktong petrolyo sa ating bansa.”

She added, echoing updates from the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin, “Sa katunayan, sinabi po ni Sec. Garin na mayroon na pong negosasyon patungkol sa 440,000 barrels ng fuel, at sa susunod naman po ay mayroong 600,000 barrels na maaari po tayong maangkat.”

Malacañang’s mouthpiece, moreover, pointed out the distinction between crises that affect oil supply and oil prices, respectively, noting that the Philippines is only experiencing the latter as an indirect impact of regional developments in the Middle East.

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Meanwhile, questions were also raised about President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s earlier instruction for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to suspend the implementation of a fare hike on public utility vehicles (PUVs).

In an earlier video of President Marcos Jr.’s directive uploaded on social media on March 18, the President expressed his concern that this fare increase would eat into the constrained budgets of commuters, thereby compromising the welfare of the common folk.

Castro stressed that what President Marcos Jr. did was simply a balancing act between the needs of commuters and PUV operators, with an emphasis on his focus towards helping the transportation sector.

“Binabalanse lamang po ng Pangulo sa ngayon—ito naman po ay sa ngayon lamang—upang hindi rin mabigatan ang ating mga mananakay, ang ating mga commuter, na pare-pareho naman po nating nararanasan kung ano ang epekto ng krisis dito sa Middle East.”

She, however, did not provide any further information as to when the fare hike suspension will be lifted but hinted that it would take effect shall developments in the Middle East take a turn for the worse.

Castro concluded her remarks by reassuring the citizenry of the government’s unhampered efforts to help the Philippines navigate these difficult times.

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