The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said that the administration is taking a whole-of-government approach, not just to address the impacts of unstable fuel prices on consumers and the transportation sector, but also to address other issues that the Philippines is facing.
Photo: Julia Avamotive/Pexels
In a PCO press briefing held on October 27, 2026, PCO Undersecretary Claire Castro enumerated the solutions and programs that the government is continuously delivering to address broader national issues in the Philippines.
For job opportunities, she said there are programs aimed at helping Filipinos who are currently unemployed or not earning enough income: “Maaari silang maging benepisyaryo sa mga binibigay na trabaho ng DOLE at sa mga puhunan.”
(“They can benefit from the jobs and investments provided by DOLE [Department of Labor and Employment.”)
Regarding the fuel crisis and rising prices in the country, Castro reiterated President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s words, emphasizing that what matters is a complete and stable fuel supply for the country.
“Sabi nga noong nagmi-meeting kami patungkol sa UPLIFT […] sabi ng Pangulo, kailangang hindi maubusan ng supply ng krudo ang bansa. Ang presyo, saka na natin ‘yang pag-usapan, dahil ang presyo ay hindi natin hawak; hindi hawak ng gobyerno ang presyo ng krudo,” the Palace press officer said.
(“As we said during the meeting about UPLIFT […] the President said that the country shouldn’t run out of crude oil supply. As for the price, we can talk about that later, because we don’t control the price; the government doesn’t control the price of crude.”)
On power concerns, Castro said the government is looking into removing excise taxes on electricity system loss.
She also highlighted President Marcos Jr.’s non-approval of an increase in fare prices because he doesn’t want commuters to be affected by the fare hike.
Various government agency interventions to help curb effects of depreciating peso value
On mitigating the impacts of the continued decline of peso value against the US dollar, Castro said that, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), there will be no price increase in basic goods and necessities and prime commodities until the end of 2026.
She also mentioned the Department of Agriculture (DA), which has its own interventions, including assistance to farmers. The Department of Energy (DOE), meanwhile, was tasked with ensuring that the Philippines always has a fuel supply, even if prices spike.
“At kailangan ding kumpleto at sapat ang suplay ng enerhiya, ng kuryente. Nand’yan ‘yung pagpapalawak ng renewable energy, pagpapaalis ng permitting process, at pagpapalawak ng energy efficiency initiatives,” she added.
(“And the supply of energy, of electricity, also needs to be complete and sufficient. This includes the expansion of renewable energy, removal of the permitting process, and expansion of energy efficiency initiatives.”)
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