Malacañang said Monday the government will continue its aid and price relief programs despite the recent decline in inflation, citing the continuing impact of the Middle East crisis and the still-elevated prices of oil and basic goods.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration would not be complacent even after headline inflation eased to 6.8 percent in May from 7.2 percent in April.
“Tama po na bumababa po ang inflation rate, at iyan po ay sa pagsisikap po ng ating administrasyon at dahil iyan din po ang nais ng ating Pangulo (It is true that the inflation rate is decreasing, and that is due to the efforts of our administration and because that is also what our President wants),” Castro said.
“Pero hindi po tayo dapat magpakampante dahil mayroon pa po tayong kinakaharap na global oil crisis na hindi pa rin tuluyang humuhupa. So, sa ngayon po, patuloy pa rin po ang isinasagawa na programa ng administrasyon. (But we should not be complacent because we are still facing a global oil crisis that is still not completely subsiding. So, for now, the administration’s program is still ongoing,” she added.
Castro said several government initiatives, including those under the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport, or UPLIFT, have helped ease the burden of high living costs on Filipinos.
These include the sale of more affordable basic goods, such as P20 per kilo rice, vegetables, fish, and other necessities, through Kadiwa ng Pangulo stores nationwide and other accredited outlets. The government has also been distributing ten kilos of rice every two months to millions of Filipino families.
Castro said the administration has also extended fuel subsidies and discounts to public utility vehicle drivers and operators, distributed special cash relief assistance to PUV drivers, provided fuel subsidies to farmers and fisherfolk, and given farm inputs such as seeds and fertilizers to farmers.
“Pero sabi nga po ng ating administrasyon, hindi po magpapakampante ang gobyerno kahit po sinasabi nating bumababa iyong inflation rate – patuloy pa rin po ang pagtatrabaho para po magtuloy-tuloy na maibaba ang presyo ng mga bilihin (But our administration has said that the government will not be complacent even though we say that the inflation rate is decreasing – it will continue to work to continuously lower the price of goods),” she added.
Asked whether the government’s financial assistance programs would continue or have a second tranche, Castro said there are plans, but the announcement would be made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the proper time.
Through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the government has already distributed more than P9.1 billion in cash relief assistance to some 1.8 million PUV drivers nationwide. The P5,000 aid was meant to help cushion the impact of high fuel prices caused by the Middle East crisis on the transport sector.
The DSWD also provided more than P11 million worth of cash aid, including livelihood grants and medical assistance, to over 4,000 overseas Filipino workers repatriated to the Philippines due to the Middle East conflict.