By CESAR JOLITO III
A business sector leader in Bacolod City has called on fellow entrepreneurs to avoid laying off workers or shutting down operations despite the continued surge in petroleum prices, warning that such moves could further weaken local economic activity.
Frank Carbon, co-chairman of the energy and power committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, made the appeal in a radio interview yesterday.
Carbon, instead, urged business owners to tighten operating costs — such as negotiating lower rental rates and reducing overhead expenses — rather than resorting to workforce reductions or full business shutdowns.
He warned that mass layoffs would reduce consumer purchasing power, which could trigger a broader slowdown in the local economy.
“Once money is no longer circulating, the economy weakens,” Carbon said, emphasizing the importance of sustaining employment to keep economic activity stable.
He also encouraged the business sector to support the government’s four-day workweek arrangement as part of ongoing energy conservation efforts, noting that while fuel supply issues are beyond private sector control, demand-side management can help cushion the impact.
Carbon stressed that while businesses have limited ability to influence global fuel supply, they can still adopt internal measures to manage consumption and maintain operations amid rising costs.
Earlier, the General Alliance of Workers Association (GAWA) said the ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel could disrupt global crude oil supplies, exposing oil-importing countries like the Philippines to higher inflation and a weaker peso.
GAWA Secretary General Wennie Sancho warned that a prolonged war could have “catastrophic consequences” for the global economy, with ripple effects that may lead to job losses and reduced household purchasing power.
Sancho urged the government to immediately roll out protective measures for vulnerable sectors, including strengthening job-retention programs through wage subsidies and skills training, expanding unemployment assistance, and providing cash aid — either one-time or periodic — to low-income households.
He also called for tighter price controls on essential goods to prevent hoarding and profiteering, alongside expanded food security programs to ensure access to affordable staples.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the only sea passage from the Middle East and one of the world’s most strategically important choke points — due to the conflict will aggravate the supply of fuel and make survival plans imperative./CJ, WDJ