Exempt fuel tankers from truck ban, MMDA urged

MANILA, Philippines - A House leader on Friday called on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to exempt fuel tankers from the truck ban to expedite the delivery of petroleum products from Batangas and Bataan.

Deputy House Minority Leader and LPG-MA partylist Rep. Arnel Ty said the exemption will speed up the transport of vital petroleum products to the metropolis after the Supreme Court ordered the shutting down of the Pandacan oil depot. 

"The MMDA may have to exempt fuel tanker trucks from the road ban, if only to avoid supply disruptions, which may be exploited by abusive traders as an excuse to prop up pump prices, or to delay further price rollbacks," Ty said.

With the present setup, the MMDA bans trucks from Metro Manila roads from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day, except Sundays and holidays.

Ty said that despite the series of rollbacks by oil companies since June, profiteers might take advantage of supply chain glitches due to the closure of the Pandacan depot as a pretext to keep pump prices elevated.

The legislator was responding to the warning issued by the Department of Energy that fuel prices may rise after Pilipinas Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp. and Chevron Corp. (formerly Caltex Philippines Inc.) wind down their Pandacan operations to comply with the Supreme Court order.

The DOE said that the extra cost factor will come from the "Big Three" oil firms having to get their bulk supplies by road using tanker trucks, instead of sea-based barges, from their oil refineries and terminals in Batangas and Bataan.