No shortage of fuel amid Russo-Ukrainian war

CEBU CITY – The Department of Energy (DOE)-Visayas said there is enough supply of fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Central Visayas despite the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on oil prices in the world market.

Lawyer Russ Mark Gamallo, DOE-Visayas Director, said they have also begun inspection of gasoline stations to ensure operators sell their fuel products within the price range set by the DOE, following the series of price hikes due to the conflict.

Russia is the world’s second top producer of crude oil after Saudi Arabia, and it supplies about a third of Europe’s needs. International economic sanctions have largely affected Russia with the United States further banning the importation of oil from Moscow.

Ukraine is an important transit country for supplies of oil and natural gas from Russia to countries throughout Europe. Ukrain’s hydrocarbon resources are also located in the Dnieper-Donetsk region in the east, the Carpathian region in the west, and the Black Sea-Sea of Azov region in the south.

Gamallo said oil companies in Cebu also assured him there would be enough fuel supply for 15 days and LPG supplies for the next seven days. The minimum inventory of supplies of oil companies here, he added, is within the allowable limit based on the 15-day crude supply as mandated under DOE’s Department Circular 2003-01-001.

Gamallo said among the directives from DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi is to ensure that gasoline station operators are regularly calibrating their fuel dispensers and are providing the approved quality of diesel, unleaded and regular gasoline. “We will intensify the inspection activities in the coming days. We will not announce it because it will be a surprise inspection,” Gamallo told the Philippine News Agency by phone.

“The inspectors use a testing instrument called the calibrating bucket, to verify compliance with the required quantity of petroleum products being sold by dealers. Also, samples of petroleum products were taken to check their compliance with the quality standards being implemented by the DOE,” Gamallo said.

The government could not dictate the movement of prices of fuel as the country is reliant on importation and as mandated under Republic Act No. 8479 or the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998. (John Rey Saavedra)