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EJ Macababbad - The Philippine Star
March 13, 2026 | 12:00am
A gas station attendant fills up cars at a station in Paco, Manila on January 12, 2026.
STAR / Edd Gumban
MANILA, Philippines — Gas stations can continue selling petroleum products placed in drums and containers, the Department of Energy (DOE) said yesterday, as long as they are bought for “legitimate operational use.”
For days, the DOE has been enjoining the public not to hoard fuel products to prevent disrupting the country’s reserves, which Energy Secretary Sharon Garin recently said would last until the end of April.
DOE acknowledged, though, that several sectors may make bulk fuel purchases, including those operating fishing vessels, agricultural machinery and marine equipment and facilities powered by generator sets.
“The sale of petroleum products in fuel-grade drums or containers remains allowed for legitimate operational use, provided that such purchases are consistent with the customer’s normal operational requirements and comply with applicable safety standards for fuel dispensing,” the DOE said in a statement.
The agency warned that transactions that “significantly exceed normal buying patterns” would undergo verification to ensure compliance with anti-hoarding regulations.
The DOE has advised oil players to assess every transaction, especially those that appear suspicious.
Garin does not see the need to ration the oil supply for now. She said at a briefing on Monday that oil companies have more than enough time to order new stocks for May and beyond.
Fuel subsidy
To ensure an orderly process, police officers will secure the distribution of fuel subsidy cards to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles (PUVs) who are affected by the increase in prices of petroleum products.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. yesterday ordered chiefs of police units to coordinate with concerned government agencies involved in the distribution of fuel subsidy in their areas of jurisdiction, particularly the venues for the rollout.
While the distribution is normally coursed through fuel subsidy cards, Nartatez said there are instances where the subsidies are turned over to members of the public transport sector manually.
He gave the directive in response to the Department of Transportation’s announcement that the distribution of fuel subsidy worth P5,000 will start next week.
Longer hours
Commuters and PUV drivers endure longer hours on the road amid the oil price hikes caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
Piston president Mody Floranda said PUV drivers work up to 20 hours just to make ends meet.
Prior to this, PUV drivers usually work around 12 to 16 hours to meet their boundary, oil refill and their take home income.
“It is really tough. This is really not enough to meet the needs of the families of PUV drivers,” he told The STAR.
With fewer modes of transport, PARA Commuters Network’s Nanoy Rafael said that passengers extend their time on the road as well.
Both groups stressed the need to remove the excise tax and value added tax to ease the burden on transport. — Emmanuel Tupas, Josiah Antonio
