THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has asked the President for a restudy of the value-added tax on oil, and the oil-deregulation law for possible amendment or outright scrapping in the hope to ease the escalating price of oil which, in turn, influences the prices of basic commodities in the market.

The position of the CBCP should be welcomed. But I hope that the CBCP stand, which reflects that of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, will also remain open to the realities of the economic programs of the government.

This issue may be popular, especially to the opposition, but let us hope that they will give substantial latitude to the President and her economic thrusts as the President is trying to balance the capacity of the government to plan its programs to reach the greatest majority of our people.

Let us remember that the issue of galloping oil costs is actually an issue that no government today has yet found an answer.

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The world’s richest countries in the G-8 group are cracking their heads over this issue in their meeting in Japan. How much more for a nonoil-producing country like ours?

Even the greatest power today is reeling from economic depression and its once-powerful dollar is falling in value. That is why we should look at this problem dispassionately and not let the people panic some more.

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Perhaps it is an appeal to our sense of nationalism or humanity, but I was struck by two programs which have touched the raw nerve of our present-day concerns most bluntly.

First is the “search for RP patriotic doctors,” which aims to encourage more doctors of medicine to remain in the country and serve our people, instead of going abroad and aggravating the brain drain.

On the same vein, the Chief Justice is looking at the proposal to compel all lawyers to render free legal work for the poor. Whether this will be tax- deductible or compensated in other forms, it is a novel idea that will certainly provide more legal access to the poor on top of the pro bono services offered by the Public Attorney’s Office of the Department of Justice.

What we are witnessing here is a plea to our medical and legal professionals to sacrifice some time in the spirit of patriotism that the mother country will somehow benefit, even for just a while, the labors of the private sector and the government to create a competitive edge in our academic system at a time when our people are slowly deprived of professional services by both the legal and medical sectors.

At the rate our young professionals are immigrating for greener pastures abroad, the day will come when our courts and our medical facilities will be paralyzed for lack of capable personnel. While many of our poor in distant or sometimes isolated communities suffer from lack or the total absence of medical attention and legal services, the well-to-do can always afford to go to the cities where most of these professionals congregate.

The poor simply cannot. It may be just a question of economics, however, in a deeper sense, all of us, professionals or dropouts, have a social responsibility to perform.

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It is a time of great concern for the economic watchdogs of the country. The price of oil is continuing its frenzied rise, nearing the $150 mark and sending jitters among countries outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

As a result, the peso is weakening and is sliding in the face of high dollar demands from corporate. The stock market is also declining in the face of the various negative economic indicators. And on the bright side, the Finance Department is expecting a tax windfall of more than P19 billion this year due to the oil-price surge.

The administration is looking at this factor brightly because it will help offset the cost of government interventions in many areas.

And what is happening in the corporate arena? A number of oil companies have shaved off P1 from pump prices that may not be substantial but a rollback just the same.

The Philippine Airlines is now offering a buy-one, take-one scheme for prospective fliers to bring in the passengers during the slump days. This marketing strategy has long been a feature of Cebu Pacific, while other airlines have offered some kind of discounted fairs now and then. It is an attractive marketing strategy and we, weekend fliers, welcome it.

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