Cheap fuel from Sabah ending up in Philippines black marketThis photo taken on April 18, 2023 shows the sun setting behind a Philippine fishing boat anchored in the Sulu sea. Short routes, strong demandParts of Sabah’s eastern coastline lie within 120 kilometers of the Philippines’ southern islands, with the narrowest maritime gap only about 18 kilometers near the Semporna islands. “Enforcement is complicated by the dense distribution of islands near international borders,” Sabah Marine Police Force regional commander Ahmad Amri Abdul Rahman told SCMP. Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu was quoted as saying that fishermen could purchase their full fuel quotas but sell unused portions on the black market. Authorities also pointed to fuel storage sites on small islands near maritime borders, which complicate monitoring due to unclear regulations on storage limits.

Source: Philippine Star February 02, 2026 01:31 UTC