The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants sustained interventions meant to cushion the public from the effects of the lingering oil crisis triggered by hostilities in the Middle East. Marcos’ order came during the fourth meeting of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) Committee held in Malacañang on Tuesday where he directed agencies to identify additional measures to help shield citizens from the hit of the effects of the war, particularly volatile global oil supply and prices. In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro noted the president’s stern directive for “active and responsive” initiatives to ease the burden of the public. “Aside from the programs and aid that have already been initiated, the president aims to identify other possible measures to ease the daily lives of Filipinos despite the challenges we face together,” the official said in Filipino. She likewise reported that more than 24,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have received assistance, while over 4,000 OFWs and 1,300 dependents have been repatriated safely from the Middle East. Castro likewise noted that the country now has an average oil supply of 52 days following the delivery of 471,000 barrels of oil. This would ensure that work and services would go unhampered. Stable electricity supply was also part of the discussion. “To ensure that our electricity supply is stable, the construction of 22 renewable energy projects with an equivalent capacity of 1,471 megawatts is currently being accelerated while 86.89 percent of the 665 government agencies are compliant with the government's energy saving measures. About 2,933 agencies and entities also follow flexible work arrangements to save on gasoline and electricity,” Castro said. “The government continues to ensure that we have enough supplies to keep work and services running,” she added.
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