LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Anticipating a possible spike in fuel prices due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, Quezon Governor Angelina “Helen” Tan has directed all provincial government offices to adopt fuel conservation measures to cushion the impact of potential global oil supply disruptions.
Tan issued Executive Order No. DHT-08 on Tuesday, mandating government offices to maximize the use of official vehicles through vehicle pooling and better trip scheduling to prevent unnecessary or duplicate travel.
Under the order, provincial offices are instructed to prioritize urgent and essential trips and assign vehicles based on passenger capacity to ensure maximum occupancy. The governor also encouraged the use of virtual meetings whenever possible to further reduce fuel consumption.
The directive likewise calls for the reduction of non-essential travel and the consolidation of field activities to avoid multiple trips to the same locations.
To maintain fuel efficiency, Tan ordered regular preventive maintenance of government vehicles and equipment. Any vehicle found to be mechanically inefficient will be temporarily grounded until necessary repairs are completed.
The order applies to all government-owned vehicles, heavy equipment, and other fuel-consuming machinery under the province’s departments, offices, and units. However, essential services such as ambulance operations, emergency response activities, disaster-related missions, and other life-saving operations are exempt from the directive.
Tan emphasized that the Philippines depends heavily on imported petroleum products and is therefore vulnerable to fluctuations in global oil prices, which could increase operational costs for government services.
She said the provincial government finds it necessary to implement prudent, efficient, and sustainable measures to manage fuel use, promote energy conservation, and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of essential public services. (Tracy Cabrera)
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