The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) will work together to monitor fuel companies’ involvement in profiteering and cartelization.

“And we have in fact coordinated with the PCC to check the behavior of oil companies, in cartelization or profiteering,” said Energy Secretary Sharon Garin in a Palace briefing on Friday.

These after reports that some fuel companies were involved in the illegal practices, which adds to the fuel price surge.

“These are all under investigation to guarantee closer oversight and compliance among stakeholders. I’m not saying there are parties guilty of these, but it’s good that we have safeguards in place. The DoE is there, the PCC is there, and our enforcement agencies are there to make sure this does not happen,” Garin said.

“The Department of Energy is closely monitoring gas stations and oil companies, making sure there is no hoarding or profiteering,” Garin added.

She said the DoE has issued several directives in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order 110 to ensure compliance by stakeholders and protect consumers.

Garin said that with the help of the Philippine National Police, cases of profiteering and hoarding have declined, noting a “more stable supply” in gas stations.

She said oil companies were submitting weekly reports to the DoE detailing their price adjustments and the reasons for them.

Households turn to charcoal

Meanwhile, some residents of Barangay 95 in Tondo, Manila, are now using “uling” (charcoal) to cook after liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices rocketed from P1,141 to P1,630 per 11-kilo tank. Similarly, the smaller “superkalan” tank from P200 is now P500.

“We can no longer afford the price of gas. So for now we’re going back to charcoal. We’ll use what we save to buy food instead,” Chanda Licuanan told DAILY TRIBUNE on Friday.

Garin confirmed that LPG prices had risen, assuring, however, that supplies would last for months.

“It’s not true that we’re running out of supply. But prices have really gone up. I think it went from around P1,100 to P1,500. The increase in LPG is quite significant, but that price will stay for a month, since LPG prices are adjusted only once a month,” she said.

She said the government and the private sector are collaborating to boost inventory, assuring the public of a sufficient supply of LPG.

She appealed to the public to monitor LPG prices and report to the authorities any dealers making daily price adjustments.

Garin said local suppliers looked for alternative sources such as China and Hong Kong after the Middle East conflict erupted.