Four major fuel companies have agreed to provide a P1 peso discount per liter to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to help them cope with recent price increases according to Department of Energy (DOE) officer-in-charge Secretary Sharon Garin.
“We were able to talk to Petron, Caltex, Shell, and Cleanfuel. Every day, we meet with each of them. They have at least a P1 discount per liter for all PUVs,” she said in an interview.
Garin said the initiative is a significant relief for drivers, as the government cannot regulate fuel prices under existing laws.
“That’s a big help because we could not control the prices much. The law says we should not control the prices. So we ask for help from the oil companies,” she told DZBB.
Garin noted that aside from the PUV discounts, fuel companies also offer various promotions and loyalty programs that provide savings to private motorists.
Pump prices were raised twice last week, following a series of consecutive increases—five weeks for gasoline, three weeks for diesel, and two weeks for kerosene. On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, prices per liter rose by P1.75 for gasoline, P2.60 for diesel, and P2.40 for kerosene. The same price hikes took effect again on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
According to the DOE, fuel retailers agreed to implement the increases on a staggered schedule to ease the impact of potential major adjustments on consumers.
The surge in fuel prices was driven by tensions between Israel and Iran, which have threatened global shipping routes. However, motorists may expect some relief this week, with a possible rollback of up to P2 per liter.
“Based on our calculations, prices would indeed go down on Tuesday,” Garin said.
She explained that the Philippines imports both diesel and gasoline, making local prices highly dependent on international market movements. “We don’t have our own source. We import everything,” she said, emphasizing that a long-term solution would be to develop domestic energy resources.
Garin added that fluctuations in fuel prices sometimes benefit consumers and at other times favor oil companies. “Sometimes the consumer loses. Sometimes the oil company loses. It depends on the situation,” she said.
