Bayan Muna backs DOE order to unbundle fuel prices

Bayan Muna on Sunday welcomed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) directive requiring oil companies to unbundle their fuel prices amid volatile global market conditions linked to the Middle East conflict.

Party-list chairperson Neri Colmenares said the move is a step toward greater transparency and accountability, particularly as fuel prices remain elevated.

“This is a victory for the public’s right to information and a necessary step toward exposing possible price manipulation and excessive profit-taking,” Colmenares said.

“For too long, consumers have been forced to accept pump prices as a black box, even as fuel costs climbed to extraordinary levels,” he added.

Colmenares said oil firms must fully comply with the directive by clearly breaking down all cost components, enabling consumers to better understand what they are paying for.

He added that data gathered from the initiative should help the government craft stricter policies to protect sectors heavily dependent on fuel, such as public transport operators.

However, the former lawmaker stressed that the unbundling policy is only an initial step toward reforming the oil industry.

He reiterated that the “real culprit” is the Oil Deregulation Law, which allows companies to adjust prices without prior approval from government agencies such as the DOE.

“Bayan Muna has long filed a bill to repeal it. This is the proper time for the people to demand its immediate repeal,” he said.

In a related development, DOE Secretary Sharon Garin said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to act on the possible temporary or permanent suspension of the fuel excise tax.

Garin also announced that fuel prices are expected to roll back on Tuesday, April 14, with diesel projected to decrease by as much as P20.89 per liter, gasoline by P4.43, and kerosene by P8.50.