Manila: There would be no rationing of petroleum products, at least at this time, the government assured, amid dire predictions concerning the country's fuel supply in relation to developments in the Middle East.
Reacting to reports that the Department of Energy (DoE) may soon order the rationing of the valuable commodity, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the government would not be implementing fuel rationing this time.
He said such statements from the DoE were merely contingency plans in the event that Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is the choke-point of petroleum passing out of the Arabian Gulf and threats by Iran to blockade the route are feared may drive the prices of fuel sky-high as had happened in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.
Heightened tensions
Recently, there had been speculation that such a scenario would take place again as Iran has raised tensions with the US over freedom of navigation in the vital waterway.
Any action in the Strait of Hormuz could threaten the smooth flow of crude oil and consequently the fuel supply of much of the world.
In the case of the Philippines, most of the country's petroleum requirements are sourced from the Middle East.
But the presidential palace said the DoE's dire prognosis on fuel rationing remains very distant at this point.
