As boat fuel accounts for half of the operating cost of fishermen, the government should increase its planned gas subsidy to them, “to be drawn from windfall tax collection from higher fuel prices,” Senator Joel Villanueva said.
“Sa isang pag-aaral, higit sa kalahati ng presyo ng mga isdang dagat tulad ng galunggong ay dahil po sa presyo ng gasolina,” Villanueva said.
“Half of the price of the matang baka in the market is to recover the cost of fuel used in catching them,” the veteran legislator continued.
“Increase the government’s P500 million fuel subsidy program for farmers and fisherfolk, and boost the fuel subsidy for fishermen to an initial P2 billion.”
The seasoned lawmaker urged the government to increase its P500 million fuel subsidy program for farmers and fisherfolk, “and boost the fuel subsidy for fishermen to an initial P2 billion.”
“Hiwalay po dapat ang para sa 1.7 million na mangingisda. 27 percent ang poverty rate sa sector na ito,” the senator stressed.
He noted that the P2 billion fuel subsidy for fishermen he is proposing is smaller than the P2.5 billion fuel subsidy that President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered to be released to jeepney, bus, ride-hailing, delivery service, and other land transport drivers and operators.
“Ang tulong sa mangingisda ay tulong sa ating mamamayan.”
“Ang tulong sa mangingisda ay tulong sa ating mamamayan. Sa ngayon, 13 percent ng food budget ng pamilyang Pilipino ay napupunta po sa isda,” Villanueva said.
But a combination of factors – depleted fishing stocks, marine pollution, high fuel prices, non-access to the West Philippine Sea – has pushed non-farmed fish prices up while decreasing catch by municipal fishermen by 2 percent last year.
A government comparison of 2020 and 2021 prices showed that galunggong, dilis, dalagang bukid increased by 12 percent.
“Pero sa palengke, mas malaki pa po ang itinaas,” he noted.
Villanueva said the government can source the P2 billion fuel subsidy for fisherfolk from higher tax collection on higher prices of oil products.
“VAT is a percentage tax. So, when gas prices go up, the VAT charge per liter goes up, too. The government is the first to profit from higher pump prices,” he said.
Prior to the uptick in gas prices that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused, the government was collecting an average P13 billion a month in all types of fuel taxes.
“It collected P367.3 billion in taxes at the fuel pump over the past 29 months since September 2019. At ito po ‘yung panahon na bumaba ang presyo ng gasolina dahil sa pandemic,” he said.
Villanueva said even if the TRAIN Law “circuit breaker” provision is restored by law – which suspends the fuel excise tax when crude hits $80 per barrel for three months – the government would still reap windfall tax collection.
“It can suspend excise tax, which I support, and at the same grant fuel subsidies. It should plow back to the people its dividends from higher tax collection. The gains should be used to ease the pain,” he concluded.
