By Brian Campued
The Philippines has enough supply of crude oil until June 30, 2026, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Friday.
On the sidelines of the inauguration of the new NAIA Expressway (NAIAX) westbound off-ramp in Pasay City, the President noted that importing crude oil, which is unprocessed fuel, is less expensive than importing refined oil, which has undergone refining to become petroleum products such as diesel.
“Iba ang presyuhan kapag nagpasok tayo ng krudo mismo, ng diesel, kaysa sa nagpasok tayo ng crude oil at tayo ang mag-refine. Mas mahal ‘yung magpapasok ka ng refined na, na diesel na. At… mayroon na tayong supply of crude oil, sufficient supply hanggang June 30,” Pres. Marcos Jr. said.
The Chief Executive reiterated that initiatives remain in place to protect Filipinos from the impact of the Middle East crisis while the government is working to secure alternative sources of fuel.
“Pero patuloy pa rin ang ating paghahanap ng supply. Patuloy pa rin ang ating pagsuporta sa ating mga commuter para naman mabawasan ang bigat ng epekto nitong nagkakagulo sa Middle East,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Department of Energy (DOE) Sec. Sharon Garin underscored the importance of public and private sector cooperation, noting that they had already met with Petron’s President and CEO Ramon Ang, during the onset of the conflict in the Middle East.
“Right after the start of the war, almost a month ago, we met with Petron [Corporation], our only refinery in the country, with no less than Ramon Ang, we set the wheels in motion to protect our country,” Garin said
“President Bongbong Marcos was clear on his directive, to make sure we have supply at any cost. Private and government together can make things happen. Sama-sama magtulungan, para sa bayan,” the Energy chief added.
Meanwhile, another shipment of 142,000 barrels containing about 22.58 million liters of diesel had also arrived in the country, the DOE announced Thursday.
Procured under the agency’s Emergency Energy Security Program, the said diesel will augment the domestic supply amid the challenges brought by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The government aims to procure as much as 2 million barrels of additional fuel supply through the Philippine National Oil Corporation (PNOC) and the PNOC Exploration Corporation (PNOC EC).
These initiatives are in line with Marcos’ Executive Order 110, which declared a state of national energy emergency to give way for a more coordinated, whole-of-government approach in light of the ongoing geopolitical tensions. (with report from Clay Pardilla / PTV News)
-jpv
