Zamboanga City pump prices highest in Mindanao; DoE probe sought

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (ZCCIFI) has asked the Department of Energy (DoE)  to conduct an all-out investigation to determine why pump prices in Zamboanga City are the highest in Mindanao.

In a letter to Energy Sec. Alfonso Cusi, ZCCIFI President Pedro Rufo N. Soliven said the fuel pump price in this city is higher by about P9.67 per litter as compared to other fuel pump dealers in major cities in Mindanao.

 

Given that the difference in price amounts to more P5 per liter and the total monthly demand of Zamboanga City amounts to millions of liters, the cumulative difference that is drained from the local economy of Zamboanga City, is tantamount to, if not outright, economic sabotage, Soliven emphasized.

Soliven in his letter to Cusi  states that the  fuel price in Western Mindanao for the period of June 22-25,  (data was  taken from DoE website) indicates  that diesel  fuel price for Zamboanga City was P50.26- P53.36, Pagadian City P44.10 – P45.11 and for Dipolog City P44.82 – P47.21 per liter, a difference of about  P6.16 per liter.

He  also  said that the diesel fuel pump price in Cagayan de Oro     was only P43.40 – P45.03, Davao City P42.45 – P44.43 and in General Santos City    P41.85 – P44.29 per liter only, way below  by about P8.41  to the fuel pump price sold in Zamboanga City.

Among the cities in Mindanao, and throughout the country, it appears that Zamboanga City has one of the most expensive fuel pump prices, the  ZCCIFI president said. “We understand that the fuel industry is deregulated, but we are also certain that no logistics or fuel storage cost can account for this “unconscionable and shocking disparity” in fuel prices, he claimed.

He continued, this unnecessary adds  to the cost of living and cost of doing business in Zamboanga City, which in this time of pandemic is an added difficulty to the many sufferings endured by our people. Soliven urged Cusi to investigate and forthright act upon this disproportionately  high fuel pump price in this city.

The letter of Soliven to Cusi was also  extended to Senator Sherwin T Gatchalian, Senate committee on energy and  Reprehensive Juan Miguel M Arroyo, Congressional committee on energy.