Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. INQUIRER.net photo / CATHY MIRANDA
MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration should look for other sources of crude oil in the face of an imminent armed confrontation between the United States and Iran, Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Sunday.
“The government must study and seriously consider securing new sources of … crude oil,” Pimentel said in a statement.
“Spiking oil prices have led to (economic) recessions in the past. It’s better to have an advanced mindset so that we (could be) prepared,”he said.
Pimentel, chair of the Senate foreign relations committee, said the government might consider sourcing the country’s fuel requirements from Russia, the world’s biggest exporter of natural gas and among the countries with the largest oil reserves.
The former Senate president also called on the Department of Energy to keep a close watch on the prices of fuel in the world market.
“Crude prices keep surging and it could batter our economy,”
he warned.
Call for prayers
Catholic bishops in the country, meanwhile, called on the nation to pray hard for peace amid increasing tensions in the Middle East.
“Let us pray that the Lord move Pope Francis and other peace-loving global leaders to mediate peace and avert the further escalation of this heightened political tension in Iran, Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East,” Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
“What a terrible way to start a new year! Shame on global leaders who dance to the tune of warmongers, for pushing the world to the brink of another global war!” David said.
Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos also urged Filipinos to pray hard for peace.
“We must resort to prayers that all must give peace a chance, work for common good and strive for stability of the regions,” Santos, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, said in a talk with reporters on Sunday.
He urged restraint, stressing that war only causes destruction and death.
Santos also urged the government to prepare a contingency plan for Filipino migrants in the Middle East.
“We may not know what lies ahead, yet it is good and proper to have plans for safety and security of [Filipino workers] there in the Middle East,” he said.—Reports from Marlon Ramos and Tina G. Santos