Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the oil crisis committee ordered by President Marcos 'does not start, but sustains and strengthens' mitigation measures to protect sectors affected by the Middle East crisis. Recto emphasized it builds on existing efforts amid elevated fuel prices. Senators urged the government to officially acknowledge the oil crisis.
MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Ralph Recto stated that the interagency crisis committee, to be formed by presidential order, institutes a 'division of labor' among agencies to better manage the Middle East crisis impacts, including elevated fuel prices from destroyed oil facilities. 'Even if the war will end tomorrow... normalization will not instantaneously follow. The damage has to be repaired,' Recto said, noting the government is allocating 'tens of billions of pesos' in aid for vulnerable groups. Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro announced on Monday that the committee is 'being finalized.' At a Senate hearing, Sen. Loren Legarda urged the Marcos administration to acknowledge the 'oil crisis,' warning, 'If we do not admit that there’s a crisis... the agencies will not act with urgency.' She rebuked the Department of Energy for citing the chamber's legislative break as cause for delayed PNOC funding approval and criticized DOE Secretary Sharon Garin's initial absence, though Garin arrived later. Bayan president Renato Reyes called the denial 'an utter lack of urgency and gross detachment from reality,' while ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo highlighted the burden on average citizens. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Emmanuel Tupas, Bella Cariaso
