A Catholic leader in Palawan said rising fuel and food prices tied to the Middle East conflict are deepening hardship for Filipino families, warning that the poor can no longer be asked to absorb the impact.
In a Lenten message dated March 30, Bishop Socrates Mesiona of Puerto Princesa said that while the conflict “may seem distant,” its effects are already being felt globally, “disrupting global solidarity and the common good.”
He pointed to disruptions in oil and gas supply, saying the “interruption of oil and gas production and distribution has caused prices to double,” setting off “a cascade of economic pressures that touch ordinary lives everywhere.”
Mesiona said the impact is visible in daily expenses, with “travel costs” surging and “the prices of everyday goods—from food to fuel—” soaring, “exacerbating hardships for families already strained.”
He pushed back against calls for austerity among the poor, saying, “We can no longer simply ask the poor to ‘tighten their belts,’” as they “have long endured maximum austerity amid deepening disparities between rich and poor.”
The bishop said the Lenten call to sacrifice reflects the lived reality of many families. “In this Season of Lent, when we are asked to make sacrifices, we don’t even need to make an extra effort,” he said, noting that “every day, as we wake up in the morning to face the challenges of a new day, we are already confronted with it.”
Framing the situation as a shared global trial, Mesiona called for solidarity over self-interest. “Solidarity calls us to sensitivity and mutual support, not exploitation,” he said, urging people to remember that “we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”
“This is the best time to show our deep concern for one another,” he added.
He ended his message with a call to sustain hope, urging the faithful to “journey together as Church without losing hope,” trusting that they “may share in Jesus’ triumph on Easter.”
