KORONADAL CITY — The provincial government of South Cotabato is awaiting approval from the Department of Energy (DOE) to secure at least 30 million liters of additional fuel supply from a Malaysian company, Governor Reynaldo Sucayan Tamayo Jr. announced earlier this week.
Tamayo said the supplier has already issued an invoice, while the provincial government is currently completing the required documents for the issuance of a Letter of Credit (LC). Once finalized, fuel deliveries are expected to commence.
“Gumagawa tayo ng paraan para mapabilis ang pagbaba ng presyo ng petrolyo sa ating lalawigan. Kung matutuloy ang ating negotiation sa Malaysian company, baka mas mababa pa kaysa kung saan tayo nagsimula,” Tamayo said.
The governor explained that the initiative seeks to complement national government efforts to enhance fuel supply and mitigate increasing fuel prices.
“Bilang local government, gumagawa tayo ng paraan para ma-augment ang supply upang mas mapabilis pa natin ang pagbaba ng presyo ng fuel,” he added.
Tamayo also noted that the agreement involves a multi-billion-peso transaction due to the large volume of fuel. He added that the national government has allowed the province to enter into such negotiations.
“In-allow tayo ng national government to negotiate. So ngayon, may mga negotiation na tayong ginagawa. Sobrang laki nga lang—kapag sinabi mong 30 million liters, bilyon ang halaga niyan,” he said.
Despite the scale of the deal, Tamayo emphasized the close collaboration between the provincial government and the private sector, which enables quicker coordination and more efficient decision-making in implementing major initiatives.
“Ang maganda sa South Cotabato, napakabilis magawan ng paraan dahil nag-uusap ang private sector at ang provincial government at nagkakasundo kung paano pababain ang presyo ng petrolyo,” Tamayo said.
He added that the negotiation amounts to approximately ₱4 billion, which the provincial government cannot undertake without the support of the private sector.
“One member of the business community has offered the use of their depot once the fuel supply materializes, and we are grateful for this initiative,” he added.
