| GMA orders safety nets to cushion impact of oil prices By GENALYN D. KABILING President Arroyo yesterday ordered the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to create safety nets, including the reduction on the import taxes on oil products, to cushion the blow of the "oil shock" and prevent the country’s economy from collapsing. The President said the country is facing the "most difficult time" mainly due to the unprecedented rise in world oil prices in the past few days, which came less than two weeks before the implementation of the 10 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products. "The oil shock is a matter of national survival and it is important that we address this. This is the most difficult time and this is the time that we must all get together to have our republic survive," she said in a speech during a visit to Cebu ye
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