Manila, March 16 -- Measures aimed at cushioning the impact of rising global oil prices on Filipino consumers reached the Senate plenary on Monday as lawmakers sponsored proposals allowing temporary fuel tax relief and amendments to the Biofuels Act of 2006.

Senator Pia Cayetano sponsored Senate Bill No. 1982, which seeks to allow the temporary suspension or reduction of excise taxes on petroleum products during periods of extraordinary increases in global oil prices.

Cayetano said the Philippines remains vulnerable to global supply disruptions, noting that about 98 percent of the country's petroleum supply comes from West Asia, making domestic fuel prices sensitive to geopolitical tensions.

"When fuel prices increase, the effects ripp...