Three days before it will be allowed by the tax court to put on hold oil imports of Pilipinas Shell, other oil firms were asked by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to increase the volume of their oil imports in response to reports that there will be a fuel shortage in the country.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said he wrote oil companies namely Petron Corp., Total Philippines Corp., Chevron Philippines Inc., and PTT Philippines Corp. to guarantee BoC that they have enough supply of petroleum products during the first half of the year.

"Through your assistance we shall be able to assure the consuming public that the supply of petroleum and petroleum products is and shall remain in full and stable stream,” Morales said, in the letter.

The BoC maintained that empirical data show that the rest of the major and minor petroleum industry players will be able to fully and completely service said demand sans Shell and/or extraordinary measures.

The 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) last December 2009 will lapse on Tuesday, February 9. Upon its expiration, the CTA may grant or deny an application for an injunction.

“It will determine the available legal options that the bureau may undertake to recover the unpaid duties and taxes from Shell which as expected will likewise come up with legal remedies,” he explained.

Morales vowed that the bureau will efficiently and expeditiously process the oil imports of these companies as soon as they arrive.

BoC earlier threatened to file criminal charges against officials of Pilipinas Shell for their “no intent” to pay the government amounting to P7.3 billion in back excise taxes for its importation of catalytic cracked gasoline (CCG) and Light CCG.