According to the groups, suspending the excise tax is a mere “temporary fix” when people’s organizations had long been calling for the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law to regulate the prices of oil and other petroleum products.

MANILA — Overseas Filipino communities in Hong Kong and Macao slammed the latest surge in oil and petroleum prices and called the Marcos Jr. administration’s response “unacceptable” as tensions in West Asia continue to drive global price hikes.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to attacks by the US and Israel has choked oil deliveries from the oil-rich region.

Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Hong Kong and Macao, together with United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL), staged a protest at the Philippine Consulate on March 18, demanding immediate relief from the impact of rising fuel prices on Filipinos here and abroad.

According to the groups, suspending the excise tax is a mere “temporary fix” when people’s organizations had long been calling for the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law to regulate the prices of oil and other petroleum products.

After its enactment  in 1998, Republic Act No. 8479 or the Oil Deregulation Law removed the government  control over the oil industry,  allowing private oil companies to set  prices. The Department of Energy monitors implementation and warns against hoarding and “over-pricing”.

People’s organizations like Bayan have saying that the policy has allowed oil firms to dictate pump prices for decades, giving them control over an industry with a strategic impact on the domestic economy.

They also criticized the continued imposition of the 12% value-added tax (VAT), saying it places an additional burden on ordinary Filipinos already struggling with rising prices of basic goods.

Photo from Bayan-Hong Kong

“Historically, VAT was introduced under pressure from foreign financial institutions,” said GABRIELA Hong Kong spokesperson Lai Besana.

“Imagine, for every P10,000 ($166.42) our family spends, P1,200 goes ($19.97) to VAT. With the rising cost of everything, when has this been fair for the Filipino people?”

United Filipinos in Hong Kong chairperson Dolores Balladares said the government has been slow to respond to the crisis while overseas Filipinos, particularly those in West Asia, face increasing uncertainty.

“The government can do more and should bring actual relief to the Filipino people. It has been sluggish in ensuring the welfare of Filipinos. What is happening to our fellow OFWs in West Asia? Does the Marcos Jr. government even care to know?” Balladares said.

Migrant groups also warned that the ongoing military escalation in West Asia could further worsen the situation of migrant workers in the region, placing millions of civilians and overseas workers at risk.

Read: Migrants lay down their urgent demands amid ongoing war in West Asia

“The US war in West Asia is being used by big businesses to justify the increase to get more super profits at the expense of Filipinos who are drowning deeper in crisis,” said Bayan Hong Kong and Macao Secretary-General Baneng Mendez, adding the people have nothing to gain from a US-instigated war.

The groups also expressed solidarity with transport workers in the Philippines protesting fuel price increases and reiterated their call to scrap the ‘anti-people and anti-migrant policies’ of the Marcos Jr. administration.

“We support our families and the Filipino people in demanding jobs at home and an end to the labor export policy,” Balladares said. 
“The Marcos Jr. government must stop serving US imperialism and end its support for wars that only worsen the suffering of Filipinos here and abroad.” (JDS)

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