The Department of Energy (DOE) announced it has mandated the country’s 8,000 retail stations to comply with the P10-per-liter fuel subsidy program for eligible drivers of passenger jeepneys and UV Express units in Metro Manila.
This developed as the DOE announced a national fuel inventory level of 45.33 days.
By product, kerosene supplies are good for 152.12 days, jet fuel for 59.74 days, fuel oil for 50.14 days, gasoline for 46.85 days, diesel for 45.74 days and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for 30.21 days.
“The average as of this week is lower than the previous week, but this is not an alarming state. It is just because we are assured of supply from other countries. So, DOE remains vigilant about our supply and closely monitoring the activities of our oil companies, as well as DOE is ready to procure more once the level is, let’s say, not comfortable anymore,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said.
Garin also announced mixed pump price adjustments for this week. Gasoline will increase by P1.21 per liter and diesel will rise by P2.82 per liter, while kerosene prices will cut by P2.21 per liter starting Tuesday.
Petron Corp. followed the lead of the DOE except for kerosene by implementing a rollback of P2.11 per liter.
Meanwhile, Solane LPG announced there will be a *rollback of P4.00 per kilogram* (VAT inclusive) in the price of 11kg LPG cylinders effective 6am Tuesday. This price adjustment reflects the continued improvement in freight premiums in the international market.
She said the DOE has been prescribing oil price adjustments for the past week under the energy emergency declaration triggered by the Middle East crisis.
“If there’s an increase, we prescribe the maximum increase, and not allowing increases that are more than the maximum that we prescribe. Or the rollbacks, it would be the minimum, the smallest rollback that they can have more, but it cannot be less than the rollback that we prescribe,” Garin said.
She said the measure is meant to provide greater predictability and uniform pricing changes among all oil companies.
For his part, Rino Abad, director of the DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau, said that as of last week, P13.4 million of the total fuel subsidy had been availed of by 12,688 public utility vehicles (PUVs). The continuous initiative has an initial budget of around P200 million.
“So, this is continuous, and we hope that as we move on, because our target is around 141,000 PUVs nationwide, so we hope to increase the PUVs’ availment of the fuel subsidy,” Abad said.
He said 938 stations are already implementing the P10-per-liter fuel discount nationwide.
“The DOE Secretary has already issued a directive that all of these gasoline stations, unless there are technical issues or justifiable reasons that will prevent them from participating, the directive points to mandatory participations of all around more than 8,000 gasoline stations nationwide,” Abad said.
Abad said the bureau has informed oil firms and retailers to join the program on or before May 28.
“All gas stations except for those that cannot, meaning they don’t have a connection to the app, or any other reason that they can give us. But in general, unless there’s a valid excuse, all gas stations are required so that all of our countrymen are available wherever they are in the Philippines. So, unless your gas station has no license, they cannot be onboarded because that’s an illegal activity,” Abad said.
