Senator Bam Aquino is pressing the government to act without delay in deploying specific economic relief measures, warning that rising costs tied to the Middle East conflict are already threatening workers and small businesses that fall outside the reach of standard aid programs.
Speaking in a television interview Friday, Aquino said minimum-wage earners and small business owners occupy a particularly precarious position — earning enough to be disqualified from poverty-targeted assistance, but not enough to absorb the shocks of sharply higher fuel and commodity prices.
“Let’s say the middle class, minimum wage earners, or small businesses… they’re above the poverty line, and therefore they don’t get your aid, but they’re in a dangerous situation,” he said.
The senator argued that MSMEs and transport sector workers deserve immediate attention, saying the funds already exist — the question is whether the government will deploy them with precision and speed.
“We need to support our MSMEs. We need to support our transport workers. There is a lot of funding allocated for aid. Maybe this is the time to use it,” Aquino said. “Targeted use of aid to ensure that our economy does not go into recession.”
He framed the broader risk in practical terms, pointing to the daily costs ordinary Filipinos would soon confront.
“We will see the shocks eventually at the market, at the grocery store, at the gasoline station, at the sari-sari store. This is what’s really painful,” he said in Filipino. “Your government needs to move quickly. If there is targeted aid, give it immediately. If there is support for industries, release it swiftly. Don’t be general, be specific,” he added.
Among the interventions Aquino recommended are fuel subsidies, direct financial assistance, and expanded government procurement from MSMEs to build stronger supply chain linkages. He stressed that data systems available today make precise, rapid aid distribution not just possible but expected.
“We need to be very targeted in this assistance. And we need to act fast,” he said.
Aquino also raised the risk of consumers reducing economic activity altogether if the cost of transportation becomes prohibitive. “We have to keep our businesses open. We have to support our transport driver because if it’s too expensive to go out, why would I go out?” he said.
