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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
August 27, 2026 | 12:00am
“While we have it, we have to pay for storage. I mean, the rent for the space to store it. So, the longer we keep it, the more expensive the storage,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said in a recent interview.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the ongoing energy emergency, the government is selling its remaining stockpile of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) procured amid the crisis, as storage costs continue to mount.
“While we have it, we have to pay for storage. I mean, the rent for the space to store it. So, the longer we keep it, the more expensive the storage,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said in a recent interview.
Garin said the government has started unloading the stocks to avoid incurring excessive storage costs.
While the selling price depends on international market conditions, she noted that the state-procured LPG could go for as low as P60 per kilo. At that level, an 11-kilo LPG cylinder could cost around P660.
“Most of the time, we try to sell it lower than the going rate, just to dispose of it,” Garin said.
State-run Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) procured 21,000 metric tons of LPG in May to shore up domestic supply amid the looming risk of shortages due to the Middle East conflict.
Unlike regular commercial imports, PNOC’s LPG stocks were secured as an emergency measure to stabilize supply and ensure fuel availability.
PNOC, Garin said, has no immediate plans to procure additional LPG supplies, citing sufficient buffer stocks.
As of Aug. 21, the country’s LPG stocks were sufficient for 34.49 days, latest Department of Energy data showed.
Before tensions in the Middle East escalated, the Philippines primarily sourced household LPG from Asian suppliers. However, these suppliers also rely heavily on crude oil from various producers, including those in the Middle East.
Given this, local fuel retailers were forced to look farther afield for alternative sources, including the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“So, luckily, our companies have learned to be resilient and to spread their risk. So, we now have many other countries as sources,” Garin said.
