^{Photo credit: PCO}

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is proceeding cautiously on the possible use of emergency powers to reduce or suspend excise taxes on petroleum products, as implementation depends on strict price and supply conditions under the proposed measure, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President is expected to sign the measure once it reaches his desk, noting that he is the one who certified it as urgent.

However, the Palace stressed that signing the bill into law and implementing its provisions are separate steps, with enforcement dependent on statutory triggers.

Under the measure, suspension or reduction of fuel excise taxes may only be implemented if global oil prices reach at least USD 80 per barrel for a continuous period of 30 days. Castro said this threshold had not yet been met during earlier policy discussions.

“At the time na binanggit niya iyan, wala pa po kasing 30 days, so mahihirapan po talaga siyang i-implement,” she said. (“At the time he mentioned that, the 30 days had not yet been met, so it would really be difficult to implement.”)

The Palace official added that timing also depends on actual oil importation, since excise taxes are imposed upon entry of imported petroleum products.

“If ever wala tayong maaangkat na langis, so hindi ma-e-exercise iyong pag-reduce at pag-suspend ng excise,” she explained. (“If we are not importing oil, then the reduction or suspension of excise cannot be exercised.”)

The administration said the framework is designed to balance fiscal stability with consumer protection amid volatile global oil markets, while ensuring that any tax relief mechanism is applied only when legally and operationally feasible.

How do you assess the feasibility of trigger-based fuel excise tax suspension in managing Philippine energy price shocks?

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