Candidates discuss Trump tariffs, fossil fuels, PUV modernization

Senate and partylist candidates tackled topics including the Trump tariffs and PUV modernization on the campaign trail on Tuesday.

In a series of posts, Democratic Party of the Philippines senatorial candidate Roy Cabonegro discussed current issues on his Facebook page.

As a representative for the Makakalikasan Party, Cabonegro condemned the tariff hikes issued by US President Donald Trump on several countries, including the Philippines.

“The Makakalikasan party condemned the tariff as both economically harmful and environmentally regressive,” he said in his statement.

“[Makakalikasan Party] warned that the policy will force Filipino farmers to shift from diversified farming to high-yield, chemical-intensive monoculture just to stay afloat… They also criticized efforts by trade officials to frame export diversification and tariff negotiations as 'eco-friendly progress,' calling it a misleading narrative designed to distract from economic and ecological harm,” he added.

He also criticized the Philippines' reliance on gas and said the country was trading sustainability for short-term power.

“Environmental advocates, including the Makakalikasan Nature Party, strongly criticize the gas-centered strategy as a false solution to the country's energy woes… The party argues that continued gas development only benefits large energy conglomerates and foreign investors while the country remains vulnerable to volatile global gas prices,” he said.

“Critics warn that branding fossil gas as ‘clean’ misleads the public and distracts from real climate solutions,” he added.

In other posts, Cabonegro also discussed corporate sustainability, sustainability in campuses, and "eco-friendly" fashion.

Labor sector

Meanwhile, Trabaho party-list nominees emphasized their job legislative agenda for provinces and far-flung areas, such as competitive pay and better internet connectivity. Members and supporters of the party-list from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao also mobilized house-to-house campaigns to reach more stakeholders of the labor sector.

Trabaho spokesperson Atty. Mitchell Espiritu said that people would send messages to their social media accounts, showing pictures of their voluntary contributions for the group’s campaign.

“It’s a testament of the public’s call for reforms for additional pay and benefits as well as to improve existing working conditions of the laborers and employees,” he said.

During a flag-raising ceremony in Santa Rosa, Laguna, independent candidate Ariel Querubin addressed the importance of discussing long-standing national issues as employees of the government.

Insurgency

Querubin said that the causes of unrest were corruption, social injustice, poverty, and unemployment, and that it must be resolved through good governance and a disciplined military to avoid insurgency.

“Alam na alam nung Ariel Querubin ang problema ng taumbayan [Ariel Querubin very well knows the problems the Filipino people have]...for as long as these issues will not be addressed—issues such as corruption, social injustice, poverty, unemployment—insurgency will persist,” the retired marine said.

“In what I’ve been through sa buhay ko, ang alam kong pinakamabisa na antidote sa insurgency [In what I've been through in my life, I know the most effective antidote to insurgency], violent extremism, and terrorism is good governance, aided by well-disciplined men in uniform,” he added.

Meanwhile, independent candidate Bonifacio Bosita conducted several campaign activities during his visit to Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.

Attorney Angelo de Alban also met supporters during his rest day in Santa Rita, Pampanga, while Bunyog Pagkakaisa Party candidate David d’Angelo attended the FEU Senatorial Forum. 

PTMP legislation

The government’s Public Transport Modernization Program (PTMP) should be legislated to set a clearer mandate, Boses ng Transport Sector (BTS) party-list first nominee Alex Abaton said Tuesday.

During a press conference, Abaton said this move would help avoid transportation strikes since a government program can be modified at any time when the administration changes.

“As iconic as this program, dapat po 'yan legislated para klaro kung saan kukuha ng pondo at kung ano magiging direction natin,” Abaton said.

(As iconic as this program is, it should be legislated so that it is clear where we will get the funds and what our direction will be.)

Started in 2017, the PTMP—formerly the PUV Modernization Program (PUVMP)—aims to replace jeepneys with vehicles that have at least a Euro 4-compliant engine to lessen pollution. It also aims to replace units that are not deemed roadworthy.

A modern jeepney unit costs over P2 million, an amount that even state-run banks LandBank and Development Bank of the Philippines said was too expensive for PUV drivers and operators.

Unconsolidated jeepneys were deemed colorum after the consolidation of public utility vehicles into cooperatives closed on April 30, 2024.

However, unconsolidated jeepneys will be allowed to renew their franchises, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon told transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (PISTON) during their protest rally on Monday.

Abaton also vowed to push for laws addressing road rage incidents.

One of the latest road rage incidents was reported in Antipolo, which led to one fatality. — Jiselle Anne C. Casucian and Mariel Celine Serquiña/BM, GMA Integrated News

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