Metro Manila, Philippines – The government should begin rationing fuel – last seen more than five decades ago in a similar fuel security crisis – to extend supply that has been tight because of the Middle East conflict, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Wednesday, April 1.
Gatchalian, chairman of the ad hoc committee on the government’s crisis response, said fuel rationing – by limiting the amount that can be purchased for non-essential or leisure use – must be done “as early as now” or “as soon as possible” unless the government secures assurances of future supply.
“I’m advising the DOE [Department of Energy] to already start putting in place a framework for rationing fuel,” Gatchalian said in an online media interview on Wednesday, April 1.
He noted that the country has around 50 days of fuel, while incoming deliveries may only extend this by about 10 days.
“Hindi tayo pwedeng magration kung malapit nang maubos ‘yung gasolina natin or maubos ‘yung krudo e. As early as now, mag-ration na tayo,” Gatchalian said.
[Translation: We cannot wait until our gasoline or crude supply is nearly depleted before we ration. As early as now, we should begin rationing.]
“I know it’s unpopular, I know it might cause cause panic but kung dumating ang punto na wala tayong papasok na petrolyo, mas malala ‘yung magiging problema natin,” he added.
[Translation: I know it’s unpopular, I know it might cause panic, but if the point comes when no petroleum is coming in, our problem will be much worse.]
Gatchalian said the executive branch should come up with a mechanism, but based on his study, extending the inventory by 60 more days would require cutting the national daily consumption of 55 million liters in half.
He assured the public that vehicles providing emergency, frontline, or essential services, such as ambulances, law enforcement, and firefighters, would be exempt from any limits, while public utility vehicles should be allowed to purchase their required supply.
“Pero yung mga private, especially for leisure, iyan dapat pag-aralan natin ilan ang pwedeng i-cut doon [But for private use, especially for leisure, we need to study how much can be reduced],” Gatchalian said.
He also acknowledged that politicians should lead by example and avoid using convoys to conserve fuel. He noted that fuel rationing is already being implemented in Indonesia.
Fuel rationing is among several recommendations outlined by Gatchalian in a chairman’s preliminary report following two hearings on the government’s crisis response last week. He said a copy of the report has been submitted to Malacañang and relevant government agencies for their consideration.
The country rationed fuel back in 1973 during the oil shock when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries imposed an embargo on nations which it deemed contributed to the defense of Israel in the Arab-Israeli War. The Philippines took a hit on the global impact of the crisis, and among the measures carried out was fuel rationing via a coupon system that was distributed through the barangay.
