Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Motorists line up to buy fuel at a gas station in Mandaluyong City on March 22, 2022. Oil firms implemented price rollbacks today after price hikes the last 11 weeks. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

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Rowegie Abanto

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177531980772120220322-gas-station-rollback-GC-12.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Motorists line up to buy fuel at a gas station in Mandaluyong City on March 22, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Philippines&#x27; energy chief on Saturday sought to address questions surrounding the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/2/dfa-iran-to-allow-safe-passage-of-ph-flagged-ships-seafarers-through-strait-of-hormuz-1726">country&#x27;s clearance from Iran to allow the safe passage</a> of Manila-flagged vessels and seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where one-fifth of the world&#x27;s crude oil and natural gas normally passes.</p><p>The strait has been effectively blockaded by Iran forces following US-Israeli attack on Tehran on February 28, disrupting global energy supply and sending oil prices soaring globally.</p><p>The Department of Foreign Affairs announced the development Thursday following discussions between Philippine and Iranian officials, it said.</p><p>While the news was met with cheers from Filipinos who have been waiting for a breakthrough in the weeks-long US-Israeli war with Iran, the government stopped short of immediately providing details as to how the arrangement would play out.</p><p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2959526497576615&amp;set=a.279033035625988">Facebook post</a> on Saturday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin offered answers to questions about the agreement the government struck with Iran.</p><p>What the Philippines has secured is &quot;a safe and preferential access,&quot; she said, which reduces &quot;the risk of disruption&quot; to the country&#x27;s oil supply and strengthens protection and safety for Philippine-linked cargo and Filipino seafarers.</p><p>She explained that even if much of the Philippines&#x27; fuel supply is sourced from regional hubs like Singapore or Korea, a safe passage of Manila-linked ships is still needed because the Asian countries also use crude oil that often passes through the Strait of Hormuz.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>GARIN: HORMUZ CLEARANCE WON&#x27;T BRING DOWN FUEL PRICES FAST</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>She also said that the development would not immediately bring down fuel prices or resolve the nation&#x27;s structural challenges in energy. </p><p>&quot;But what this does is help ensure continuity of supply and stability, especially at a time when further disruptions could significantly affect our economy and our people,&quot; she said.</p><p>Garin said that the arrangement was &quot;not a perfect solution&quot; but &quot;an important step&quot; that improves the country&#x27;s position &quot;in a highly uncertain global environment.&quot;</p><p>Any disruption in the Hormuz, she noted, &quot;creates a domino effect that impacts global supply—and ultimately, prices at the pump.&quot;</p><p>As the Middle East war rages, prices of diesel in the Philippines could reach up to P160 per liter on Tuesday, April 7, according to projections. <strong>—With a report from Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EurM_VWofEE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>In a Facebook post on Saturday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin offered answers to questions about the agreement the government struck with Iran.</p>

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin offered answers to questions about the agreement the government struck with Iran.

PH energy chief clarifies impact of country's Hormuz clearance from Iran

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PH energy chief clarifies impact of country's Hormuz clearance from Iran

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 05, 2026 12:24 AM PHT

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Sharon Garin

Oil Prices

Strait Of Hormuz

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