Fuel Panic? Oil Players Say PH Deliveries Beyond April Are Still a Big Question Mark

Philippine fuel players are warning that supply concerns are far from over, with oil industry representatives telling senators that deliveries beyond April are still not guaranteed. Rappler reported that while current incoming shipments are still arriving, companies have yet to receive firm confirmation for many future importations, especially for May.

The testimony came from both major and independent petroleum groups. Rafael Capinpin of the Philippine Institute for Petroleum said tenders for May had not been getting responses, while Tanya Samillano of the Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association said their members were also still waiting for confirmation beyond April. In short: may dating pa, pero the pipeline ahead is still shaky.

The warning clashes with earlier assurances from government officials that the country’s inventory remained manageable. At the same hearing, industry players stressed that limited supply is now the bigger danger than high prices alone, because a deeper shortage could trigger more station closures and wider economic disruption.

According to the report, Philippine National Police monitoring showed 415 gas stations out of 14,269 nationwide were already temporarily not operating due to supply constraints as of March 25. Areas hit hardest included the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol.

Executives from Petron, Chevron, and Shell said securing crude and finished products has become harder due to export restrictions and tightening regional supply. Their message was blunt: without stronger government help to secure actual cargoes, the Philippines could feel the supply squeeze more sharply by the end of April and into May.

Source: Rappler