Nelson Morales

Fuel prices are displayed at a gasoline station in Quezon City on April 7, following another round of fuel price hikes. Oil companies raised gasoline prices by as much as P5.90 per liter and diesel by up to P19.80 per liter, marking one of the largest increases in recent weeks. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Diesel seen rising to up to P170 if Mideast conflict continues

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — If the conflict in the Middle East continues, diesel prices may rise to between P130 and P170 per liter, an official of the Department of Energy told lawmakers on Monday.Even if the “best case scenario” or the establishment of a long-term agreement and cessation of hostilities occurs, Energy Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said he expects it will take a “couple of months” before fuel prices return to pre-crisis levels.Sales said this during a Legislative Energy Action Development Council meeting on Monday, meant to address the impact of tensions in the Middle East or West Asia.According to the <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://prod-cms.doe.gov.ph/documents/d/guest/ncr-price-monitoring-04072026-pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DOE&#x27;s Oil Monitor</a> website, diesel prices were already between P120 and P160.20 per liter as of April 7 in the National Capital Region. Oil firms, however, are set to roll back diesel prices by around P20 per liter on April 14.Sales said even if a long-term deal is reached on the cessation of hostilities, diesel prices may only go down to P75 to P90 per liter.&quot;So this will still be higher than our pre-crisis pricing, and this is primarily due to structural damage in the Middle East in terms of facilities and the moving around of logistics to bring crude oil to the market,” Sales said.According to the DOE’s presentation, gasoline prices could go down to P62 to P75 per liter under this “best case scenario.”As for the “status quo” scenario wherein the ceasefire holds while both sides regroup, prices are seen to fall from current levels “as crack spreads normalize over 4-6 weeks.”“Potentially, diesel could go down to P90 to P105 per liter if the scenario holds for four to six weeks,” Sales told lawmakers.World oil prices rebounded sharply on Monday after talks collapsed between the US and Iran. The US has said that it would blockade all Iranian ports beginning Monday.As for a scenario wherein the ceasefire ends without resolution and hostilities resume, Sales said diesel prices may go to P130 to P170 per liter.Based on the DOE&#x27;s data, diesel prices have had a year-to-date increase of P57 to P82 per liter since January 2026 or before the crisis compared to April 14 to 20 pricing. Meanwhile, the spike for gasoline prices under the same period was at P27 to P42 per liter.

If the conflict in the Middle East continues, diesel prices may rise to between P130 and P170 per liter, an official of the Department of Energy told lawmakers on Monday.

If the conflict in the Middle East continues, diesel prices may rise to between P130 and P170 per liter, an official of the Department of Energy told lawmakers on Monday.