By DAVE SUAL ALBARADO
Bohol provincial and city officials have launched a sweeping multi-agency response to rising fuel and commodity prices triggered by the escalating Middle East conflict, deploying police monitors, reactivating price councils, threatening price abusers with criminal charges, and assuring residents that the province’s fuel supply remains stable for the next three months.
At the center of the provincial response is Executive Order No. 07, Series of 2026, signed by Gov. Aris Aumentado, which formally created the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on Economic and Energy Resilience, or PIATF-EER.
The order establishes a coordinated framework requiring multiple government offices to monitor fuel and food price movements, assess supply conditions, track the situation of Boholano overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, recommend regulatory action to stabilize basic goods prices, and submit weekly reports to the governor’s office.
Aumentado’s order also directs all provincial government offices to implement energy conservation measures — including minimizing official vehicle use and cutting electricity consumption — and to consider flexible work arrangements where feasible.
“The framework aims to cushion the impact of global conflicts and supply chain disruptions on public safety and the community,” the governor said.
Provincial Administrator Aster Caberte said major fuel suppliers have confirmed that Bohol’s fuel stocks are sufficient to cover 90 days of demand, and there is no immediate cause for alarm over supply.
However, Caberte cautioned residents to brace for further price increases in the coming days as the Middle East conflict continues to roil global oil markets.
HIKE A REALITY
Fuel prices in Bohol have already risen sharply, with the Department of Energy (DOE) pushing for staggered implementation of hikes rather than allowing companies to impose maximum increases all at once.
Petron, for instance, had initially sought to raise diesel prices by at least P19 per liter and gasoline by P8 per liter, but implemented only partial increases — P11 per liter for diesel and P5 per liter for gasoline — after the DOE intervened.
The deferred portions of those adjustments are expected to take effect in a subsequent round of hikes, meaning total increases for the week will ultimately be higher.
Other major fuel industry players, including Pilipinas Shell, Chevron, Total, and Seaoil, have implemented similar price adjustments.
Fuel retailers, however, pushed back on regulatory scrutiny, arguing that they are merely passing on pricing set by depot owners and oil companies, and called on the government to direct regulation upstream.
The DOE warned that fuel stations found to be abusing the price situation may face show-cause orders.
Despite the increases, current pump prices in Bohol remain within the DOE’s Suggested Retail Price range, according to city and provincial officials.
Price Monitoring Council
In Tagbilaran City, Mayor Jane Yap has activated the city’s Price Monitoring Council, a body composed of representatives from city government and national agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry, to track fuel and commodity price movements and guard against profiteering.
City Administrator Alvin Acuzar said Yap ordered the council to convene immediately and maintain close watch over price fluctuations, noting that fuel price movements typically produce a domino effect that pushes commodity prices across the board.
The city has also begun monitoring supply chains to detect and pre-empt further unauthorized price hikes.
Businesses found engaging in price manipulation or abuse face serious consequences: revocation of their business permits and charges under economic sabotage statutes.
Fuel distributors were put on notice to distribute supply fairly to consumers.
3-month stocks
At the provincial level, the Provincial Price Coordinating Council has been reactivated following a meeting last week at which suppliers presented current inventory levels and pricing data.
Major suppliers of prime and basic commodities expressed support for price stabilization efforts and confirmed that their current inventories are sufficient to last up to three months.
The PPCC’s reactivation falls under Republic Act No. 7581, or the Price Act, which mandates the council to monitor prices and supply conditions — especially during emergencies or impending crises — and to establish mechanisms that protect consumers from unreasonable price increases and supply shortages.
Police deployed
To give the monitoring effort teeth on the ground, the Bohol Provincial Police Office has deployed all municipal police stations to actively track fuel prices at stations across the province.
Provincial police spokesman Maj. Rey Olar said the monitoring effort is part of inter-agency coordination aimed at mitigating the impact of rising prices and ensuring equitable fuel distribution across Bohol’s municipalities.
Police findings are being compiled into situation reports submitted to the DOE and are intended to flag non-compliant stations for possible regulatory action.
Tricycle operators
The fuel price surge is hitting Tagbilaran’s public transport sector hard.
The city’s commuter economy is heavily dependent on tricycles, most of which run on petroleum rather than electricity, making them acutely sensitive to fuel cost movements.
Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Tagbilaran City met with tricycle drivers and operators on March 9 to hear their concerns and discuss options for cushioning the impact of higher fuel costs.
The meeting was led by Councilor Leonides Borja, who clarified that the minimum fare remains fixed at P15 for the first kilometer, as no ordinance authorizing an increase has been passed.
Tricycle associations are scheduled to convene on March 21, 2026 to formally deliberate on whether to seek a fare adjustment.
Any fare hike would require council action before taking effect.
Food self-sufficiency
Beyond enforcement, Aumentado appealed directly to the business sector to exercise restraint and avoid hoarding, warning that artificially keeping stocks low to justify higher prices would worsen conditions for ordinary Boholanos and undermine the government’s ability to ensure stable food and fuel supply.
“Hoarding makes it harder for the government to ensure stable food and fuel supply,” Aumentado said.
To shore up long-term food security, the governor’s order tasks the Provincial Agriculture Office with intensifying food production, promoting backyard gardening, and coordinating with national agencies.
The order also includes provisions to prepare assistance programs for returning OFWs should repatriation from conflict zones become necessary, and to prioritize vulnerable sectors in social protection interventions.
The DOE has also urged residents to use public transportation to reduce overall fuel consumption as the crisis persists.
Aumentado framed the province’s response as both a practical and moral obligation.
“We need to ensure that no one takes advantage of this situation,” he said.