President Benigno Aquino III on Monday said he has no plans of asking Congress for emergency powers — at least for now — even in light of the possible effects of the ongoing crisis in Libya to the country’s economy.
Aquino said this despite assurance from Congress leaders that they would support him in case he asks for emergency powers.
Interviewed after the meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), Aquino said the concerns of those proposing for presidential emergency powers can still be addressed in the current setup, like the plight of 26,000 Filipino migrant workers who are affected by the current situation in Libya, and possible spike in oil prices. “For instance, what would you need? Would [there] have been a need at this time to ask Congress for a supplemental budget to address their plight? I was made to understand that there is substantial fund with [Overseas Workers Welfare Administration] that can be utilized for this purpose," he said. He said Energy Secretary Rene Almendras has been briefing him constantly on the government’s efforts to mitigate oil price increases “As you know, the price of oil now is $110 per barrel. Until that situation in Libya stabilizes there is still that pressure, for those who are speculating, to drive the price up but there are several measures [the government had undertaken]," he said without elaborating. Aquino noted that acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Undersecretary Esteban Conejos are now in Libya to manage the situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there. “They have set up a command post…There is a ship that we will be utilizing that will transport about 20,000 plus of our countrymen to Malta, so we are removing substantial numbers already," he said. He further said that even countries richer and have more resources than the Philippines were not able to predict the situation.
Specialist Aquino also said his government is planning to appoint “a specialist" who would “help us gather the necessary information so that we will have timely information in a more beneficial manner especially for fast developing situations what transpired in Egypt and also in Libya." Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, for his part, said the Senate will support Aquino’s actions to protect Filipino abroad even without emergency powers. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said members of the House of Representatives are “very supportive of the President."
“Certainly, if the President feels that there is a need for any kind of new powers, especially to meet a situation that is not yet stable, that is still unfolding, certainly he will find a willing hand in the House of Representatives," Belmonte said. - KBK
