Cagayan de Oro City — The IBON Foundation, through its Executive Director Sonny Africa, is calling on the government to adopt stronger measures to ease the burden of rising fuel prices on ordinary Filipinos.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo, Africa criticized the government’s current approach of merely urging the public to conserve energy, stressing that ordinary citizens are not the cause of the crisis. He emphasized that the state has a greater responsibility to protect the people’s interests, especially as the surge in fuel costs continues to drive up the prices of basic goods.
Africa also urged authorities to scrutinize the pricing mechanisms of oil companies, particularly how global market movements are translated into local pump prices. He argued that transparency and accountability in this process are crucial to prevent unjustified increases.
The IBON Foundation believes that concrete government action, beyond appeals for frugality is necessary to cushion the public from the heavy impact of the oil crisis and ensure economic stability.
