Posts falsely claim Duterte-stronghold Davao secured Brunei oil supply as prices soar
- Published on March 26, 2026 at 05:32
- Updated on March 26, 2026 at 07:47
- 3 min read
- By Ara EUGENIO, AFP Philippines
The southern Philippine city of Davao has denied it secured oil supplies from oil-rich Brunei to address fuel shortages linked to the Middle East war, contrary to social media posts sharing a supposed video of the shipment arriving in the city. The video in fact shows oil trucks being ferried within the Philippines, and an expert told AFP the law prevents local governments from independently importing petroleum products.
"Brunei to Davao," reads overlaid Tagalog-language on a Facebook video shared on March 20, 2026.
The video -- viewed over 3.6 million times -- shows two tanker trucks marked as "FLAMMABLE" disembarking from a docked ferry.
It was shared as the Philippines grappled with rising fuel prices and gas shortages following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a result of the war in the Middle East (archived link).
The strategic waterway was largely blockaded by Iran in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli military campaign that killed its supreme leader, a move which has sent global energy prices soaring. In the Philippines, diesel reached a record 134.30 pesos (US$2.24) per litre.
Davao, a major city in the southern Philippines, is the long-time bailiwick of the influential Duterte family.
Similar claims circulating on social media triggered comments both praising the Dutertes influence and criticising the national government of President Ferdinand Marcos.
"Baste is just a mayor, but he can handle things without the government's help... that is the Duterte brand," reads a comment referring to Davao Mayor Sebastian Duterte, brother of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Another says: "Brunei doesn't trust President Marcos, so they’re selling fuel directly to Davao instead."
But a Davao City official told AFP the claim is false.
"We have no information regarding the alleged oil supply from Brunei arriving in Davao City," Davao City Information Officer Harvey James Lanticse told AFP on March 24.
"The city government has not held any discussions with Brunei on this matter."
While official trade data shows the Philippines imports petroleum products from Brunei, no individual city has the legal capacity to secure its own oil supply under the country's deregulated oil industry (archived link).
"Local government units do not possess the basic requirements for direct petroleum importation: be an oil industry participant and secure a license/permit from the Department of Energy," Adoracion Navarro, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), told AFP on March 24 (archived link).
Navarro noted that price hikes caused by global disruptions are being managed through targeted subsidies and the potential suspension of fuel taxes.
Unrelated video
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the falsely shared video was first uploaded to Facebook on March 3 (archived link).
The person who posted the footage shared another video on March 23 where he said his video had been stolen and misused (archived link). He said the tanker trucks were in fact ferried to Lucena from Romblon province, "not Brunei to Davao".
AFP geolocated the clip to a section of the Dalahican Port in Lucena City reserved for ferries operated by Starhorse Shipping Lines, which serves provinces south of Luzon and does not operate routes to Davao City (archived here and here).
The Google Earth Street View image shows the same white concrete arch that can be seen in the background of the video of the false posts.
The company’s owner said in a Facebook post that the vessel in the video is among their fleet (archived link).
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Middle East war.
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