The country’s oil firms cut the price of gasoline by P0.25 per liter and kerosene by P0.15 per liter starting Tuesday to reflect the movement of world oil prices.
The oil firms, however, did not move diesel prices.
“Please see fuel price rollback of Shell effective Tuesday 6am, 12 December 2017. Gasoline rollback of P0.25 per liter and kero rollback of P0.15 per liter. Diesel no change,” Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. said in its advisory.
Other oil firms that cut prices include Petron Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Eastern Petroleum, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Flying V, among others.
Last week, the oil firms also rolled back pump prices by P0.30 per liter for diesel and P0.30 per liter for kerosene but did not move gasoline prices.
Oil prices move on a weekly basis, reflecting the oil prices in the global market the previous week.
As this developed, the Energy Department is tightening regulation over the sale of adulterated gasoline and diesel to tricycles and jeepneys in the countryside.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the Oil Industry Management Bureau has crafted policies that would ease the establishment of gas stations in the countryside.
Cusi said that the “bote-bote” system or sale of gas and diesel in soda bottles opens end-users to the purchase of adulterated fuel and exposes the public to the dangers of fire and explosion.
The new policies under the downstream oil industry are intended to further protect consumers by enticing industry players to provide better services and products.
“We now have categories for gas stations that will encourage the putting up of safer products, facilities and services,” said Cusi.
“We are also open to the various technology-options that are being introduced in the market to address the proliferation of liquid fuels in soda bottles or ‘bote-bote’”, he added.
Cusi also said there is a need to cater to the dynamic segment of the transport industry, the tricycle drivers and operators and those living in remote areas.
The department has already endorsed to the Department of Trade and Industries-Bureau of Product Standards the new Philippine National Standard (PNS) for automotive and industrial diesel products in compliance with the standard specification under the Philippine Clean Air Act.
The OIMB also separated the standard for automotive and industrial diesel oil.
The improved PNS/DOE Quality Standard (QS): 004:2017 on coco-methyl ester (CME)-blended Automotive Diesel Oil Specification contains revised technical provisions to upgrade the fuel quality requirement (such as reduced sulfur content limit in compliance with Euro-4 emission standard) and test methods for more accurate evaluation of fuel quality.
The upgraded PNS/DOE QS 013:2017: CME-Blended Industrial Diesel Oil Specifications include introduction of cetane number or derived cetane number as new property, removal of distillation property, reduction in the limit of carbon residue, increase the limits of density, flash point and kinematic viscosity and updating of test method.
Cusi said said standards aim to improve diesel quality for cleaner and efficient fuels sold in the market.
The department has also issued the Code of Safety Practices for LPG Refilling Plant and updated the Retail Rules. These two policies are essential to safeguard the welfare of the consumers against unscrupulous trading of petroleum products (i.e., adulteration and under-delivery), said the DOE.
They will also provide regulations on emerging and expanding technologies in the retailing of liquid fuels and more stringent measures for safe LPG manufacturing and use.