The Senate Committee on Energy on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, discussed a proposal allowing the president to temporarily suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel during periods of sharp increases in global oil prices.

The hearing focused on Senate Bill No. 1485, which seeks to amend Section 5 of Republic Act No. 9367, also known as the Biofuels Act of 2006 or the “Murang Langis Act.” Lawmakers examined the measure as rising geopolitical tensions in West Asia highlighted the Philippines’ vulnerability to disruptions in global oil supply.

The proposed amendment would introduce a safeguard allowing the president, under specific conditions, to temporarily suspend or adjust the mandated biofuel blending requirement if it contributes to higher fuel prices. The panel also reviewed proposals granting the president authority to suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel during extraordinary spikes in international oil prices.

Lawmakers emphasized that the proposal seeks to provide flexibility during periods of economic strain, not abandon the country’s biofuels policy.

At the end of the hearing, committee chair Pia Cayetano said the panel had agreed “in principle” to support proposals allowing Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to temporarily suspend or reduce excise taxes on fuel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

She said the Senate would wait for the House of Representatives of the Philippines to pass its version of the measure on third reading before sponsoring the bill on the Senate floor, which she hopes could happen as early as Monday next week.

“On principle, those who attended the hearing are united in approving it in principle. But the exact wording, even from the Executive, they have not given us their final version,” Cayetano said in an ambush interview.

“In principle, the members who attended are supportive of the main principle of the bill, which is to give emergency powers. That’s what we can say,” she added.

Cayetano said the committee is still coordinating with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Finance (DOF) to finalize the details of the Senate’s version of the measure.

“There are just a few details on when the trigger is. When will the President be given that authority to suspend or reduce the excise tax? And then, when will this authority end? So that's the question that DOE and DOF have been working on,” she explained. “But we'll be ready to sponsor it as soon as the House gives us their version.”

According to Cayetano, lawmakers have filed several proposals addressing the impact of rising fuel costs. These include 10 Senate bills seeking the suspension or reduction of excise taxes on petroleum products, one bill calling for the abolition of the excise tax on fuel, and a resolution examining the effects of global oil price volatility linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Earlier on Wednesday, Marcos said the measure granting him authority to temporarily suspend or reduce fuel excise taxes would be certified as urgent.

A day earlier, the House Committee on Ways and Means approved an unnumbered substitute bill that would authorize the president to suspend or cut excise taxes on fuel during periods of elevated global oil prices.

-Paraluman News