MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday stated that the next administration will bear the weight of increasing oil prices caused by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In his speech in Clark, Pampanga, Duterte warned his successor to brace up for the possibility that escalating tensions between the two countries could result in skyrocketing oil prices.
“Talagang magdaan tayo ng hirap kaya nagpasalamat ako sa Diyos na magtapos na ako. Bilisan na lang niya ang mga araw kasi kawawa talaga itong susunod tingnan ninyo. Hindi na hihinto ‘yan. (We are really going suffering to suffer that’s why I am thankful to God that my term is about to end. I just want him to speed up the days because the person who comes next would be pitiful. It won’t stop) Every day, the prices will increase and increase and increase until we can have a stable situation in the whole, lahat ng countries, dito sa Pilipinas, maka-recover (all the countries and the Philippines will recover),” he said in his speech in Clark, Pampanga.
The Russia-Ukraine war risks becoming one of “attrition” in which each side seeks to wear down the other, Duterte said.
“Iyong giyera ngayon (The war now), it will not end. It’s an attrition. Iyong patagalan na (Prolonging the) shooting each other there,” he added.
He expressed concerns that Russia’s war with Ukraine would escalate to nuclear war.
“‘Pag nuclear na, wala na tayong pag-usapan, wala na tayong i-import pati… Bakit man kayo? Tapos na man lahat (When it escalates into a nuclear war, we won’t have anything to talk about. Everything is over),” he said.
Duterte also urged transport groups protesting fuel price hikes to thoroughly understand the factors driving up oil prices.
“Every time that you complain and go into a demonstration, just make sure that you realize and understand the importance of oil and how it would affect all nations,” he said.
Earlier, Duterte stated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine deserves “condemnation”, describing the ongoing armed conflict as “so brutal”.
According to Malacañang, the Philippines joins the rest of the world in praying for an “early and peaceful” resolution to the conflict between the two countries.