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While President Marcos gave an assurance that the Philippines has an ample supply of oil amid the Middle East conflict, he bared plans to ask Congress to grant him the authority to reduce excise tax on petroleum products should prices exceed $80 per barrel.

Marcos made the statement in a press conference at Malacañang on Tuesday, March 3, following a meeting with Cabinet members on the situation of Filipinos in the middle of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and its impacts on the country.

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2026/03/03/marcos-to-seek-emergency-powers-to-reduce-excise-taxes-on-petroleum-products-if-prices-exceed-80-per-barrel

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Transcript
00:00The other aspect that we met about today was about the economic impact that this will have on us.
00:08As you can imagine, oil, the prices of oil have already taken an adjustment upwards.
00:19But it went all the way up to 82 pesos, I'm sorry, 82 dollars initial shock.
00:28Pero they closed out at 76.50.
00:35So nag-a-adjust na pababa.
00:37So that is expected.
00:41First of all, let me assure everyone that we have sufficient supply of oil.
00:50We have a stockpile that are approximately 50 to 60 days in terms of gasoline, in terms of fuel oil,
01:00and in terms of kerosene.
01:02So that is, let me immediately allay the fears of everyone, that our supply of oil-derived products, oil-derived
01:18products, even fertilizer is something that we had to look at.
01:21And we have sufficient supply.
01:26Let me look at the precise numbers.
01:31Our stockpiles are diesel, we have 50 and a half days.
01:38Fuel oil is 51 and a half days.
01:40Gasoline is 51 and a half days.
01:42Kerosene, we have 67 and a half days.
01:47Jet fuel, A1, jet fuel is 58 days.
01:52LPG is 29 days.
01:54So we are okay for that period of time.
01:58Ngayon, to further provide the supplies of these oil products,
02:06yung ating mga pinagkukuhanan ng ating mga iba't-ibang oil products ay meron din silang stockpile.
02:16So hindi pa yun, hindi nalabas, hindi pa nila in-export.
02:20So that is another potential supply for us.
02:23However, we must be very clear that if you are a country that is holding a stockpile of oil products,
02:31you will export as little of it as possible so that you keep your own stockpile high
02:39while this crisis is going on, while we do not know what is going to happen.
02:45However, beyond that, of course, there will be a great effect on the oil prices that we are facing here.
02:58We have already seen the reaction on oil products,
03:03on crudo, sa gasolina, sa LPG, at naramdaman na kagad.
03:12And that's, again, expected.
03:14So we have put together some scenarios.
03:26We cannot know.
03:29We have heard many estimates kung gano'ng katagal ito.
03:32Ang naririnig natin coming out of the United States is four to five weeks.
03:37Hopefully, it will be less.
03:41And hopefully, before the four to five weeks,
03:44the level of intensity of the fighting will come down.
03:48In other words, the commerce will proceed in a more or less normal way, number one.
03:56And secondly, that the oil production will start to normalize.
04:04And hopefully, of course, these are our hopes sooner rather than later that this will happen.
04:10However, in the scenario that Dubai Crude comes between $80 and $90 per barrel,
04:25this lasts for two months, we have identified and assuming that Iran exports continue,
04:38although I don't think that that is a fair assumption anymore
04:40because that's going to be the first place that the attacks will occur.
04:48So the response of the government, some of the interventions that we are thinking about
04:57is to have targeted fuel subsidies to the affected area, to the affected sectors,
05:04such as the transport sector, the agri-sector.
05:07The agri-sector comes into play because fertilizer is a petroleum derivative
05:12that comes from the oil and for fisher folk.
05:16As soon as oil prices breach $80 per barrel,
05:23we will use several of the funds.
05:30We will use the funds.
05:31For example, we will use the Pantawid Pasada program
05:35and the subsidy for farmers and fisher folk.
05:39We are also trying to look at the possibility
05:47of easing the transport cost burden to workers
05:54for the traveling public,
05:56providing maybe no fare bus rides along major routes
05:59and maybe to hold fares down on our public transport facilities.
06:09And of course, we are now going to look for whatever subsidies we will need to provide
06:16so that we will not be able to see that the working public is going to happen.
06:24There is also a proposal that we will examine further.
06:30I am going to talk to the leaders in both the House and in the Senate
06:35to maybe, this is not yet a sure thing,
06:41but this is something that we are discussing
06:43and it could be helpful,
06:45is to give me, the President, the authority
06:48to reduce excise tax on petroleum products
06:52should Dubai crude exceed $80 per barrel.
06:59And that, wala pa tayo don.
07:01But if, in case that happens,
07:04then maybe this is something that we will have to,
07:07this is one tool that we will have to have.
07:10So, I will discuss it with the leadership of Congress
07:13and to see it is going to be an emergency measure,
07:17it is not going to be a permanent measure,
07:19it will be something that we will dispose of
07:22as soon as the crisis is over.
07:25And there has been a coordination
07:27between the Department of Energy and the oil companies
07:31that whatever price increases,
07:33they are going to institute
07:35that they be done in a staggered manner.
07:50And that will hopefully become a little bit less of a problem
08:06to our, to our working,
08:10to the working public.
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