President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos has urged government officials and the public to conserve energy by turning to public transportation and carpooling, as the country braces for possible oil supply disruptions stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.
In a press conference on Tuesday, March 3, Marcos appealed to private car owners to practice carpooling, avoid unnecessary travel, and make greater use of public transportation.
“Yung mga unnecessary travel, ‘yung mga carpooling, ‘yung mga bagay-bagay na ganyan. These are things that the general public can do,” Marcos said, emphasizing practical steps to reduce fuel consumption.
He further encouraged motorists to maximize vehicle capacity, saying:
“We encourage the use of public transport, you know, private vehicles. Punuin naman ninyo yung sasakyan ninyo. Huwag yung iisang tao lang ang gumagamit.”
According to the President, he has given instruction to all government offices to find ways to save on energy. The call, he said, also applies to the public.
“Maghanap tayo ng paraan upang mabawasan ang ating paggamit ng lahat ng mga sources of energy natin,” he said.
“Kagaya ng sabi ko, sapat naman ang supply natin. Ngunit baka sakali, ito ay kakailanganin nating gawin ito upang mabawasan nga ang pagbayad dahil tataas nga ang presyo,” he added.
“All of these things can come together. We will give further guidance in terms of that,” he further said.
The Chief Executive said he has issued a directive to all the government offices to find ways to save energy in every way, but he will give further guidance.
He said he will make public service announcements to make suggestions to people of what they can do to reduce their energy consumption. (Betheena Unite)
