The Bukidnon provincial government on Wednesday launched a Task Force on Petroleum and Energy Resiliency (TF-PER) to draft a contingency plan to mitigate the impact of oil price hikes driven by Middle East tensions.

In a statement, TF-PER chairperson and Provincial Board Member Oliver Owen Garcia said the task force’s plan will ensure that the provincial government’s basic services continue to operate amid the country’s state of energy emergency.

“We will have more meetings with provincial executive officers and local government leaders for this plan to align its mandates,” he said.

Garcia said the task force was also established to shield communities from the economic challenges resulting from rising petroleum prices in the country.

Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, began distributing cash relief to public transport drivers and operators in the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia in Bukidnoin on Wednesday.

Together with the other six key cities in Northern Mindanao, each driver and operator received at least PHP5,000 worth of assistance. (PNA)