REUTERS

THE PHILIPPINES and Malaysia reaffirmed their intent to cooperate on energy after clarifying the sourcing of shipment of diesel, which was obtained from a private trading company rather than Malaysian national oil compa-ny Petronas.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Energy (DoE) said it held bilateral talks with Malaysia’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the DoE announced on April 11 that it had secured a 329,000-barrels shipment of diesel from Petronas.

The actual source was the Singapore office of trading company Vitol Asia Pte. Ltd., according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who rejected reports that the Philippines had obtained diesel from Malaysia. The Prime Minister identified Vitol as the supplier in a social media post.

At the bilateral meeting, the DoE was represented by Secretary Sharon S. Garin, Undersecretary Alessandro O. Sales, and key officials from the Philippine National Oil Co. and PNOC-Exploration Corp.

“The Philippines values its long-standing partnership with Malaysia, particularly in advancing regional energy cooperation,” the DoE said.

“We express our appreciation for the open and productive engagement, which reinforces our shared commitment to ensuring stable and reliable energy supply, strengthening market resilience, and promoting coordinated re-sponses to evolving global conditions,” it added.

The Philippines has been an active buyer of fuel since the outbreak of war in Iran, which has disrupted petroleum shipments from the Persian Gulf. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

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