A top Boholano businessman chided the Department of Energy (DOE), President Duterte and Sen. Christopher Go for slow action to solve the fuel supply crisis in Bohol following the fury of typhoon Odette.

As this developed, Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi said his agency is doing its best to solve the fuel shortage problem.

Cylwin Bomediano, the chief executive officer of Ashira Properties Development Corporation (APDC) group of companies, vented his frustration on Facebook in a post on Dec. 26, 2021.

Bomediano is wondering why there seems to be less supply of fuel in Bohol as people are lining up for long hours just so they could get a share of gas/diesel oil. He said that Luzon and Mindanao are not affected by the typhoon, hence, there should be enough oil supply here. But there is no move coming from the DOE to dispatch more oil tankers to Bohol.

“Nganong naingon ani man ni? Wa man unta bagyoha ang Luzon ug large part of Mindanao. Nganong wala may nimandar sa Department of Energy nga magpadispatch ug daghang OIL
TANKER dinhi sa Bohol,” Bomediano said on Facebook.

He further asked why there is still slow action to solve the fuel supply crisis here making life harder for Boholanos who are already suffering from the fury of the typhoon.

“Nganong gilisod lisod man ninjo ang mga tawo? Unsa man ning negosyoha?” Bomediano  asked.

The businessman then challenged the president and his trusted ally, Sen. Go, to solve the fuel supply problem in the province.

“Digong ug Bong Go, dili ko maikog mosulti ninjo kay usa ko sa nigasto aron mo makaabot sa Malacañang. Sulbara ninjo ni,” Bomediano posted on Facebook.

After the typhoon ravaged Bohol, aside from power and water, fuel supply has been scarce caused by the massive spike in the demand.

Moreover, people have been lining up for hours in gas stations all over the province just to get a few liters of fuel, which has been a huge hassle considering the amount of time they spend waiting to get some fuel.   Immediately after the post of Bomediano, several other netizens supported his cause through their reactions and comments on social media.   Board Member Jescelo Adiong did the same as he delivered a privilege speech during this week’s session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) requesting the speedy action of Sec. Cusi regarding the fuel supply concern of Bohol. As a result, the SP filed a resolution en masse for the said purpose. 

DOE’S RESPONSE

For his part, Cusi said his agency has been coordinating closely with the various petroleum companies in the country to ensure enough fuel supply is brought to Bohol.

Cusi made a statement on Dec. 26, 2021 in a video posted by the Provincial Information and Media Relations (PRIMER).

The DOE secretary paid a visit to Bohol and met with Gov. Arthur Yap on Sunday.

“We [DOE] are in close coordination with sa mga oil companies yun pong Petron, Shell, Phoenix, Unioil and others are assuring na ma-restore kagaad ang pagbebenta ng petrolyo didto sa Island
of Bohol,” Cusi quipped.

The secretary said that there is enough fuel supply but there was a delay in the delivery of the fuel products due to damage in some ports of entry and the depot.

“Mayroon tayong sapat na supply, nagkaroon lang ng problema noong sa pagpasok [ng fuel products] dito sa Bohol gawa na sira po ang ating ports of entry at saka yung mga depot,” Cusi explained.

In order to get rid of the long lines of people queuing at the gas stations to buy fuel, there should be no limits imposed on the amount of fuel a person can buy so that they will be making fewer trips back to the gas station to buy petroleum products, Cusi quipped.

Furthermore, Cusi mentioned that he learned that the fuel retailers here resorted to limit the amount of fuel one can purchase, which only resulted to long queues.

The secretary said customers should be allowed to purchase as much as they could in order to make the queues shorter as there is enough fuel supply for Bohol anyway.

By letting people buy as much fuel as they could, the customers will be making fewer trips to the gas station, Cusi bared in his statement.

Cusi is working to bring more fuel supply to gas stations that have closed shop after their inventory ran out so the customers can buy from them and as a result would lead to shorter queues.

“Ako naman umaapela sa publiko at sa mga gasoline dealers, yung mga stations na wag po naman tayong magkaroon ng kaso ng overpricing,” Cusi appealed.

He indicated that a composite inspection team composed of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), DOE and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is going around to check on the compliance of gas stations with the right pricing schemes considering there’s a price freeze.

Moreover, the secretary also solicited the help of the local government units for the price monitoring and orderly selling of fuel products.