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Metro Manila, Philippines – Motorists can expect significant relief at the pump starting Tuesday, April 14, as the Department of Energy projected diesel prices to drop by P20.89 per liter, gasoline by P4.43, and kerosene by P8.50. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the projected rollback is based on the latest five-day average of international oil prices compared with the previous week, marking the first major price cut after successive increases driven by the Middle East crisis. “Rollback na! These are the DOE estimates for the price rollback starting Tuesday… it’s based on the average of the last five days international prices and comparing that to the average of the previous week,” Garin said. She clarified that the figures represent minimum expected adjustments and that actual pump prices may vary across fuel retailers. The rollback follows weeks of sharp increases in fuel prices triggered by supply concerns linked to tensions in…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The government urged Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. to strengthen safeguards and response mechanisms against disinformation amid the rapid spread of false information, including misleading content on fuel price advisories and the president’s health.  In a letter dated April 10, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda and Presidential Communications Office chief Dave Gomez wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive officer, to take action on disinformation.  “The rapid proliferation of false, misleading, and panic- inducing content—particularly those relating to oil prices, economic disruptions, and government actions—poses a direct and escalating threat to public order, economic confidence, and national security. The scale and velocity of such content on Meta’s platforms significantly amplify these risks,” the letter read. The Cabinet official listed a number of misleading content proliferated in the platform, including fabricated medical documents about the health of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., exaggerated oil price hikes…

Metro Manila, Philippines – A shipment from Malaysia of 52 million liters of diesel arrived in the country to boost fuel stock, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Saturday, April 11.  Energy Secretary Garin said the purchase of 329,000 barrels of diesel through the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation will “stock up on supply while the Middle East war is not over.” “Such a complex world isn’t it? Someone from the Americas starts a war in the Middle East and causes suffering in Asia,” she wrote in a Facebook post. This marks the second diesel shipment, following the delivery of 142,000 barrels or 22.5 million liters from Japan in March. The DOE said the latest shipment covers the government’s target to secure 318 million liters of diesel, with the rest expected to be delivered in batches within April. The Oil Industry Management Bureau earlier announced that 900,000 barrels of…

Washington, U.S. – U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the U.S. will have the Strait of Hormuz “open fairly soon” but did not elaborate and acknowledged that it will not be an easy step. Trump also suggested that other countries were offering help but did not identify any nation. “Other countries use the strait. So we do have other countries coming up, and they’ll help out,” Trump said. “It won’t be easy … I would say this – we will have that open fairly soon,” Trump added. The blockade of the strait by Tehran since the start of the Iran war has caused the worst disruption to global energy supplies in history. The strait is a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Trump has been ​upset at NATO allies’ failure to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on Thursday that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, after meeting Trump, told European governments that the…

Metro Manila, Philippines – The Transportation Department will roll out a two-week program beginning Wednesday, April 15, aimed at helping public utility drivers who lost income because of expensive fuel.  Drivers of government-contracted vehicles may earn up to ₱10,000 more per day in addition to the regular fare income under the service contracting program. Here’s how: Rates, discounts Service contracting means the government will incentivize select drivers plying their routes for five days. The DOTr announced the following rates to be applied per kilometer. ₱30 for traditional jeeps ₱40 for modern jeeps and UV express ₱100 for EDSA bus carousel Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the government will pay drivers for up to 100 kilometers of trip per day. This means operators and drivers of busway units could earn ₱10,000 more daily, ₱4,000 for modern jeeps, and ₱3,00 for traditional vehicles. The DOTr said beneficiaries would have to install…