MANILA – Partido Reporma standard-bearer, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, sees no problem with proposals calling for a four-day workweek to help Filipinos cope with the surge in oil prices as long as there is proper compensation, especially for daily wage earners.

“As long as daily wage earners will be compensated for their extended hours of work which should be equivalent to five days, I will support that four-day workweek para matipid ang gamit ng fuel. Magandang suggestion and I think we should support that (As long as daily wage earners will be compensated for their extended hours of work which should be equivalent to five days, I will support that four-day workweek so we can save on fuel. It is a good suggestion and we should support that),” the presidential aspirant said in a statement Thursday.

He added that the four-day workweek proposal will not only help Filipinos save on fuel but give them more time to spend with their families on their days off.

Earlier, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua recommended a four-day workweek to alleviate costs on related expenses such as food and transportation.

Meanwhile, Lacson said he is willing to discuss with Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III his proposal to temporarily suspend excise taxes on fuel to give Filipinos breathing space amid the fuel price hikes.

He added the DOF’s proposal of additional relief of PHP200 a month or PHP2,400 a year through unconditional cash transfers to the bottom half of Filipino households may not be enough to get by.

Lacson said suspending the excise tax when fuel prices reach a certain threshold and reimposing it when prices go below that threshold is more practical.

The Partido Reporma standard-bearer also said that while suspending excise taxes could mean at least PHP131 billion in foregone revenues, the conflict in Ukraine – a major cause of the fuel price spikes – will hopefully not last long.

Thanking true friends

On Wednesday, Lacson thanked his true friends and believers for their fresh contributions to his presidential campaign.

Lacson said the contributions come at a time when campaign funds are supposed to “come by hard and seldom.”

“Now that campaign funds are supposed to come by hard and seldom, old and new friends and true believers in our fight for good governance and against the evils of corruption volunteer their support by contributing to our campaign. I couldn’t thank them enough,” he said on his Twitter account.

In a press conference in Maddela, Quirino, Lacson said despite his supposedly low ranking in recent surveys, many friends continue to call him and want him to continue his fight.

Lacson said it is not his nature to call friends and ask for contributions.

“Di ba mga contributors lalo ang traditional, they always contribute sa tingin nilang siguradong panalo at alam nilang medyo nahirapan, teka muna. Ang iba ayaw na, nawalan ng enthusiasm (The ‘traditional’ contributors would contribute to those they think have a good chance of winning and leave behind those they think do not),” he said.

But Lacson said that while this shows the ugly side of surveys, he maintained the real survey is on May 9.

“That’s the ugly side of surveys. And surveys are not elections. Last time I heard, elections are on May 9,” he said. (PNA)