The local government of Catigbian, Bohol has extended aid to the transport sector amid rising fuel prices, the town’s mayor said Monday.
Mayor Benjie Oliva, speaking on the Newsmakers radio program, said the local government unit felt compelled to act on the transport sector’s petition for a fare increase, warning that denying it could cause economic hardship for drivers and operators.
“It was difficult to turn away the petition,” Oliva said.
Beyond the fare adjustment, the LGU also provided fuel subsidies and implemented energy conservation measures, including shortened work hours to cut fuel and power consumption.
Oliva attributed rising fuel prices to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, noting mixed signals on whether peace talks between the warring parties were moving forward.
“It is great the sides are slowly entering into talks perhaps to end the war,” he said, expressing hope the situation would de-escalate in the coming days.
The mayor traced the current hostilities to a U.S.-Israeli strike aimed at neutralizing Iran’s uranium enrichment program, with Iran refusing to abandon its nuclear ambitions despite international sanctions.
Oliva said Iran may be pursuing nuclear weapons as a form of self-defense and self-preservation, while also accusing Tehran of sponsoring militant groups such as Hezbollah. He linked Israeli military difficulties to Iranian support for such groups.
“Fuel prices will continue to rise if the situation in the Middle East remains escalated,” he said.
Oliva also pushed back against any government assertion that no oil crisis exists, saying reality on the ground points to a fuel price crisis regardless of reserve supply levels.
PROXY WARS
The mayor raised concerns about the Philippines potentially becoming a theater of a proxy conflict, citing the West Philippine Sea as a flashpoint where China seeks control over a critical sea lane vital to Philippine trade and industry.
He also flagged the Taiwan question as another potential trigger, saying the United States would not stand by if China moved to forcibly reunify with the self-governed island.
Oliva drew a parallel to the Russia-Ukraine war, which he said the U.S. has sustained through continuous military and financial support to Kyiv. He said Ukraine could not have maintained the now six-year conflict without American backing.
He added that the U.S. is building arms manufacturing infrastructure in the Philippines, and that areas near Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites are reportedly being equipped with missile systems. Oliva said he was uncertain whether the missiles were positioned to defend the Philippines or to serve as a deterrent over Taiwan.