Palace warns profiteers amid Middle East tension: Legal actions possible

Malacañang reiterated Monday its warning against profiteers who are taking advantage of the continuing tension in the Middle East, stressing that the law will go after them.

“Ang panawagan ng Pangulo ay magkaisa tayo kung ano ang nangyayari po ngayon sa Middle East. Dapat tayo magkaisa at magtulungan. Hindi tayo kinakailangang maghatakan pababa,” Castro told reporters in New York City.

(The President is calling for unity amid what's happening in the Middle East. We should unite and help each other.) 

“At sa mga tao, hindi dapat kayo magsamantala. Ang gusto ng Pangulo ay magtulungan tayo. Kapag kayo ay nagsamantala, meron kayong kalalagyan. Kayo ay madedemanda at maaaring matanggalan kayo ng pagkakataon na kayo ay makapagnegosyo,'' she added. 

(To the public, you should not take advantage of the situation. The President wants us to help each other. If we take advantage of the situation, we could be held accountable. We may face charges and we may lose our chance to acquire businesses.) 

In a video message last week, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. assured the public that the government continues to monitor the prices of basic goods in the market as oil prices are expected to soar, which is expected to affect the prices of commodities. 

Marcos further assured the public that the government is ready for big-time pump price hikes. He is already talking with Congress to grant him the authority to reduce the excise tax once crude exceeds $80 per barrel.

Tensions in the Middle East heightened after US-Israeli airstrikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which American President Donald Trump celebrated. 

The Iranian state media later confirmed the death.

Trump has stated that combat operations in Iran would continue until all objectives are achieved, confirming that three US service members were killed and that there would likely be more casualties. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News