Natural gas

MANILA, Philippines — As global tensions drive fuel prices higher and threaten to push electricity costs up for Filipino households, the country’s petroleum industry is urging the government to fully implement a newly enacted law aimed at expanding the use of domestic natural gas.

The Petroleum Association of the Philippines (PAP) said maximizing the country’s indigenous gas supply could help stabilize electricity prices and reduce the Philippines’ vulnerability to volatile global energy markets.

“There is an opportunity to fully implement the downstream Natural Gas law by maximizing the use of indigenous gas,” PAP chairperson Donnabel Kuizon Cruz said during a Senate hearing on March 11. “We still have capacity there that we can use and push into our power generation companies so we can help reduce the price.”

The call comes as motorists brace for another round of steep fuel price increases triggered by war in the Middle East, which have rattled global oil markets and exposed the Philippines’ heavy dependence on imported energy.

According to industry projections, diesel prices may surge by ₱19.30 to ₱22.30 per liter starting March 17, while gasoline prices could rise by ₱14 to ₱17 per liter.