Filipino motorists may see mixed price movements in petroleum products next week, which may offer some relief from this week’s round of pump price hikes.
Rodela Romero, director at the Department of Energy’s Oil Industry Management Bureau, said on Friday that the four-day international trading period and recent developments in the global oil market had prompted the projected mixed adjustments.
Romero said that gasoline prices could either roll back by P0.15 or increase by up to P0.30 per liter.
Diesel prices are expected to either remain unchanged or decrease by as much as P0.40 per liter. Kerosene, meanwhile, could drop by P0.20 to P0.40 per liter. These adjustments are set to take effect on Tuesday morning next week.
Romero attributed the forecast to several factors influencing the international oil market.
“For rollback, reports of progress toward US-Iran nuclear deal, cooling global US-China trade tensions, and additional crude oil storage capacity from Iran’s export terminal (were factors),” she said.
However, she also pointed to factors that could trigger a price hike. “OPEC remains optimistic about global oil demand growth despite economic risks,” Romero noted.
This week, fuel retailers raised gasoline prices by P1.20 per liter, diesel by P1.70 per liter, and kerosene by P1.20 per liter.