Bukidnon: 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.

According to Philippines News Agency, TF-PER chairperson and Provincial Board Member Oliver Owen Garcia stated that the task force's plan will ensure the continuous operation of the provincial government's basic services amidst 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," Garcia explained.

Garcia emphasized that the task force was also created to protect communities from the economic challenges stemming from rising petroleum prices in the country. Meanwhile, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, alongside the Department of Social Welfare and Development, commenced the distribution of cash relief to public transport drivers and operators in the cities of Malaybalay and Valencia in Bukidnon on Wednesday.

In conjunction with six other key cities in Northern Mindanao, each driver and operator received at least PHP5,000 worth of assistance as part of the relief efforts.