The declaration of a national state of energy emergency by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raises serious questions among them, the lack of clear plan and democratic consultations with different sectors.
Extraordinary powers demand a clear plan. Yet the government has not presented a concrete strategy explaining how these emergency powers will actually address the crisis. Declaring a national emergency without a clear roadmap is the perfect recipe for abuse.
Executive Order No. 110 itself concedes that the measures to address the crisis are to be undertaken ‘under existing laws.’ In other words, the power was always there - the plan was not.
Instead of resorting to sweeping emergency measures without a clear program, the President should have convened a national summit bringing together workers, employers, farmers, transport groups, and civil society to unite the country around a common strategy to confront the crisis.
Workers and ordinary people are the ones suffering from rising prices and economic uncertainty. They deserve more than vague declarations and emergency powers.
If the government has no clear answers and ends up more confused than the vulnerable sectors, then it should have the humility to ask the people. Real solutions will not come from emergency proclamations but from a nation mobilized behind a clear, democratic plan to confront the crisis.
Workers do not need a state of emergency; they need a State with a plan. If government cannot present one, it should at least have the humility to listen by convening a forum for consultation —otherwise, all we have is sound and fury, signifying nothing.
