Earlier this week, the Department of Energy mandated a major price rollback for gasoline and diesel. Although motorists were looking forward to these decreases taking effect on Tuesday, November 10th, certain fuel stations have reportedly applied only part of the rollback. In more extreme cases, some stations did not apply the rollback at all, despite the DOE’s reminders that the rollback must be applied in full.
In response, the DOE has called on motorists to take note of these delinquent gas stations and report them to the agency via the eGov PH app. Through the dedicated ‘Gas Station Concerns’ category, users can file reports with details such as the gas station’s location and photographic evidence of non-compliance.
Speaking with 24 Oras, Rino Abad, director of the DOE Oil Industry Management Bureau, affirmed that a major fuel rollback must be applied immediately and in full: “Definitely [the rollback] would be a one-time implementation of decrease.” The DOE also confirmed that oil firms have not petitioned to stagger the price rollback.
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Additionally, Abad notes that the Oil Deregulation Law has a provision for the DOE to take charge of mandating fuel price movements during an emergency such as the current fuel crisis. Going against the DOE by not applying rollbacks is a violation of the Oil Deregulation Law, which warrants an investigation into the offense.
As of writing, the average price of 91-octane gasoline in Metro Manila is around P76.19, while diesel hovers around P90.35 (per GasWatch PH’s tracking). Looking ahead to next week, market observers are already forecasting another significant fuel rollback.
Have you encountered delinquent fuel stations in your area that just won’t bring down their fuel prices? With fuel continuing to slide toward pre-war levels, let’s hope the DOE makes good on its promise to investigate. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments.
