28/03/2026
𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨 𝐍𝐚 𝐀𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐨𝐝 𝐍𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐞. 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐌𝐨 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐦.
Before you blame the war, read this first. Because the real problem is closer to home than Tehran.
𝐐: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝟒𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚?
A: That reserve was purchased before the war started. At mas mababang presyo. But here is what the oil companies are not telling you. They are not pricing that old stock at what they paid for it. They are charging you based on TODAY'S international crude price, which is hovering near $100 per barrel. You are literally paying for oil they have not even bought yet, using money from your pocket today.
𝐐: 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐢𝐲𝐨𝐧? 𝐏𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢?
A: Yes. Legal. And that is exactly the problem. Under Republic Act 8479, the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998, oil companies have full authority to set pump prices based on current international market rates. The government cannot cap it. Cannot control it. Cannot stop it. That law is 28 years old. It was written for a completely different world, long before anyone imagined a single war could knock out global oil supply overnight.
𝐐: 𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐩, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠?
A: In plain terms, yes. It is called inventory windfall profit. They are sitting on old stock purchased at lower prices, but selling it as if it just arrived from a war zone. The gap between their actual cost and your pump price goes straight to their bottom line. And you are funding it every time you fill up.
𝐐: 𝐀𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐀 𝟖𝟒𝟕𝟗?
A: Congress needs to move on this. At minimum, four amendments should be on the table right now.
First, a weighted average pricing rule during any declared national emergency. If your existing stock was bought at $60 per barrel, you cannot sell it at $100 per barrel prices. Simple math. Simple justice.
Second, mandatory public disclosure of actual inventory acquisition cost versus pump price during any crisis. Kung kumikita ka sa gitna ng emergency, the public has the right to know exactly how much.
Third, cost-plus pricing for all government-procured emergency reserves. Those should never be sold at full market price when a national emergency is already in effect.
Fourth, an automatic price rollback trigger the moment any president declares a national energy emergency. No debate. No delays. Automatic.
𝐐: 𝐁𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐩𝐚 𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐬 𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨?
A: Because RA 8479 has powerful backers. Every serious attempt to amend it has died quietly in committee. The oil industry has lobbied hard to keep deregulation intact, and Congress has allowed it. The energy emergency declaration gives Marcos authority to procure and distribute fuel faster, but it still does not touch what oil companies charge at the pump. That part of the law remains untouched, and they know it.
𝐐: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐨?
A: Message your congressman. Not tomorrow. Today. Ask them directly where they stand on amending RA 8479. The transport sector is already planning a strike. Consumer groups are organizing. The pressure is building. Ang tanong lang ay kung sino sa Kongreso ang matapang na tumayo para sa Pilipino, at hindi para sa oil industry.
Here is the bottom line. We are paying war prices for pre-war oil. The government declared a national emergency but cannot control what you pay at the pump. That is not deregulation working as intended. That is a 28-year-old law protecting corporate margins while ordinary Filipinos bleed at the gas station.
𝐀𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐨. 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐨.
Dapat baguhin na. Ngayon.
