Castro confirms PH got 700,000 barrels of crude oil from Russia

MANILA, Philippines — Reports that a ship carrying more than 700,000 barrels of crude oil from Russia has arrived in the Philippines are confirmed, Palace press officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Thursday.

READ: Russian oil arrives as Philippines battles ‘energy emergency’

Castro said this after reporters asked her if reports on the arrival of a ship carrying 700,000 barrels of crude oil are true.

“This is confirmed,” Castro said in reply.

Earlier, sources told the Agence France-Presse about the matter.  According to the report, the Sierra Leone-flagged Sara Sky, bearing high-quality crude from Russia’s ESPO pipeline, arrived last Monday.

The consignee supposedly is Petron Corp., the Philippines’ sole oil company that operates its own refinery.

Just earlier, in a press briefing in Malacañang, Castro assured the public that the government is doing everything in its power to address the rising prices of fuel and the concern over the shortage of supply, both caused by the Middle East conflict.

Castro said Energy Secretary Sharon Garin and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have been working together to find countries that can supply the Philippines with oil, given that movement along the Strait of Hormuz is still hampered by the United States (US) – Iran war.

“We saw what the government has done, other countries are also struggling with the situation, but now you have seen how the government acted, how quick was its response, and how much the government has done for its people,” she said.

“And now, as we have said, this is a whole-of-government approach, each agency have been helping each other.  As a matter of fact, Secretary Sharon Garin said that they and the DFA have been helping each other to find alternative countries for the supply, like Canada, USA, South America countries, including Russia,” she added.

The government has been criticized for its alleged inaction on the fuel price surge.  Last Tuesday, the country saw the third-straight week of higher fuel prices, pushing diesel to around P130 per liter, while gasoline now sits near P95 per liter.

READ: OIL PRICE WATCH as of March 24, 2026

Several lawmakers aligned with the labor sector condemned Malacañang for saying that there is still no crisis despite the high prices brought by the Middle East conflict

READ: Palace slammed for ‘downplaying’ crisis, worker ‘exclusion’ in committee 

Malacañang recently announced that a crisis committee is being finalized to address concerns with the supply of fuel and goods.  On Tuesday, it was confirmed by the Senate that the proposal to suspend the collection of excise taxes on fuel — amounting to P10 per liter of gasoline and P6 per liter of diesel — has reached President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s desk.

Marcos then signed the bill on Wednesday.

READ: Marcos signs law granting him powers to suspend fuel excise tax 

However, it is still unclear when excise taxes would be suspended.  Under Senate Bill No. 1982, Marcos can suspend excise taxes only if the economic cluster and the Energy secretary recommend it, once the average Dubai crude oil price, as measured by the Mean of Platts Singapore, exceeds US$80 per barrel for one month.

As of now, several motorists have opted for public transportation modes, which eased street traffic but raised volume for buses, trains, and other public utility vehicles.  The matter was compounded by public utility vehicle drivers conducting a strike to condemn the government’s allegedly slow and inadequate response. /jpv