Manila, Philippines – As the prices of petroleum products in the country continue to rise daily due to the ongoing staggered oil price hikes implemented by the Department of Energy (DOE) amid the conflict in the Middle East, the agency assured that it will strictly monitor gas stations nationwide to ensure sufficient and fair distribution of petroleum products to consumers.
According to the DOE’s issued guidelines, the purchase of gasoline using drums or containers is only allowed if it is intended for fishing vessels and sea transport.
This also covers generator sets used by hospitals, government offices, telecommunication companies, and machinery used in agriculture.
Gas stations are allowed to implement purchase limits per vehicle to prevent panic buying and to ensure that everyone has access to the supply.
As part of DOE’s strict monitoring, retailers and suppliers may collaborate to check historical company records to determine if there has been excessive purchasing of fuel, which could lead to hoarding.
Meanwhile, the DOE implements gradual increases in petroleum prices to shield motorists from the immediate effects of unstable global oil prices due to the Middle East conflict.
From March 10 to March 16, daily price increases are expected to be implemented by oil companies.
Among the companies participating in the staggered oil price hike adjustment are Shell, Petron, Total, Jetti, and Seaoil.