MANILA — Former Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla on Tuesday warned that Filipinos should prepare for an extended period of high fuel prices, even if the Middle East conflict ends and government interventions are implemented.

“Fearless forecast: There is no more, huwag na kayong umasang babalik pa ng P61 ‘yan,” Petilla said in an interview on Unang Hirit’s On Record segment.

He added that diesel could reach P100 or slightly above, while gasoline may stabilize just under P100 once normalcy returns, citing damaged infrastructure in local refineries and disruptions in oil extraction abroad.

“There is no clear end in sight,” Petilla said, pointing to external factors and ongoing geopolitical tensions that continue to drive oil prices upward.

Petilla urged households to adjust their fuel consumption and overall spending.

“It’s a world crisis. Ang pinaka-importante sa lahat is, in any crisis, is to survive. At maraming sakripisyo ang daranasin natin kapag gusto natin mag-survive. But the most important thing is to survive,” he said.

While the government is considering measures such as suspending some fuel taxes or offering targeted subsidies, Petilla said these interventions would provide only limited relief.

He noted that removing excise taxes and value-added tax (VAT) could lower pump prices but would also result in significant revenue losses, potentially affecting government programs and infrastructure projects.

“There will be help from the government. Pero hindi kayang saluhin ng gobyerno ang pagbigay ng ayuda at ibalik sa P61. At P3 trillion yan, P3 trillion a year ang gagastusin kung ibabalik natin sa P61 habang bumibili tayo ng mahal,” he said.

Petilla recommended demand management as a practical step for now, stressing that curtailing fuel consumption is necessary given current global and local conditions.

“And we cannot simply afford that right now. What we can do is curtail the demand. Demand management tayo ngayon,” he said.