MORE lawmakers are urging President Rodrigo Duterte to support proposals in Congress for the suspension of excise taxes on diesel, gasoline, cooking gas, and other oil products.

In separate statements, Quezon City solon Precious Hipolito and Magsasaka Party-list Representative Angel Cabatbat supported the call for a special session to discuss pending bills that would mitigate the impact of the rising cost of petroleum products.

“The temporary suspension of oil taxes will provide our people instant relief from soaring fuel prices. It will benefit all sectors,” Castelo said.

She said pump prices of oil products could go down by the amount of excise taxes whose collection would be temporarily shelved.

“This means that prices could decrease by P10 per liter for gasoline, P6 per liter for diesel and P3 per kilogram for liquefied petroleum gas or P33 per 11-kilogram cylinder,” she added.

The reduction in the cost of fuel would have a similar domino effect on prices of goods and services.

The President is reportedly scheduled to meet within the day with energy and finance officials to discuss measures related to the soaring cost of petroleum products.

The Department of Finance (DOF) is opposed to the proposed suspension of fuel taxes and is for continued targeted assistance to certain vulnerable groups.

Castelo said she would support a proposal to approve a bill that will provide for an automatic tax suspension mechanism whenever the cost of crude oil in the world market breaches $80 per barrel.

She said President Duterte has to call Congress to a special session so that such a measure could be passed “in a few hours, since it is a simple, uncomplicated proposal.”

“If such legislation were in place, fuel taxes would have been suspended because the cost of crude has already shot up to $130 per barrel due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Castelo said.

For his part, Cabatbat said that it is about time to end the burden of the consumers.

“Bagamat may fuel subsidy na inilaan ang pamahalaan para sa mga manggagawa ng agrikultura at transportasyon, kulang ito para maibsan ang epekto ng fuel increase,” he said.

“Napakaliit po ng limandaang milyong piso na fuel discount para sa milyon milyong magsasaka, mangingisda at maghahayop. Hindi lahat ay naabutan ng tulong. Isa pa, paano kung tumagal pa ang gulo sa Ukraine, o magkaroon na naman ng panibagong aberya na puwedeng makapagpabago ng presyo? Ang ayudang ito, ni hindi mapagkakasya ng dalawang buwan,” Cabatbat added.