The war between the United States-Israel and Iran has triggered a global fuel crisis.

In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order (EO) No. 110 on March 24 that declared a national energy emergency due to the war’s “imminent danger posed upon the availability and stability of the country’s energy supply.”

The President also signed Republic Act No. 12316, which granted him emergency powers to suspend and reduce fuel excise tax.

But as the public waits for these government interventions to take effect, the war’s impact has started to catch on, hitting the country’s fuel supply.

Closed gas stations

As of Friday, March 27, a total of 425 out of 14,485 gasoline stations in the country have temporarily closed due to the fuel crisis, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

This translates to nearly 3% (or 2.93%) of gas stations nationwide.

The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) posted the highest number of closed stations with 79. Central Luzon followed CAR with 46, while Eastern Visayas has 44.

On the lowest number of closed stations, Central Visayas holds the lowest figure with only one, followed by Metro Manila with four, and Mimaropa and Davao Region with eight each.

By percentage — closed gas stations compared to the total number of stations in a particular region — CAR is still the most affected area at 14.4%. Eastern Visayas follows with 7.2%, then the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region with 6.9%.

The fuel shortage in CAR is becoming apparent because apart from closed ones, operational stations in the region are said to have purchase limits. According to local reports, some impose a cap of 20 liters per transaction, possibly affecting operations and the flow of goods into the region.

In Baguio City, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said their city is eyeing to prioritize essential sectors like hospitals, food distributors, and public utility vehicles in case fuel rationing becomes necessary. He added that they are looking at regulating fuel purchases in containers.

Complaints

Some actors were also said to have been illegally using the situation to their advantage.

According to the PNP, a total of six complaints were filed, as of March 27, due to several fuel crisis-related allegations. The breakdown is as follows:

The PNP is also monitoring retailers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to spot those who will resort to alleged profiteering activities.

“I have directed our local police to heighten monitoring of retailers to prevent hoarding and price manipulation of LPG amid the present energy challenges that we are facing,” PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement. – Rappler.com