Eastern Petroleum to put up filling stations in terminals

Eastern Petroleum Corp. (EPC) will start putting up filling stations in various jeepney terminals all over Metro Manila early next week.

EPC chairman Fernando Martinez, in an interview, said these filling stations will give a discount of 60 centavos per liter to its customers. "We will be setting up a filling station in Old Pantranco by the weekend to serve jeepneys plying the route of Quezon Boulevard and it should be ready by Monday or Tuesday next week," he said.

Martinez said they will give a guaranteed 60-centavo discount to the terminal owner who will then determine how much discount they will pass on to their customers.

He said they are working out additional filling stations in Mandaluyong, Antipolo and Makati areas. "We are trying to talk to the National Power Corp. (Napocor) to allow us to occupy a portion of its Mile Long property in Makati near the Makati Post Office to serve as one of our proposed sites for filling stations to be used by jeepneys plying that route," he said.

Another site in Makati near the Pasong Tamo area is also being eyed.

Martinez said the EPC will be offering a similar discount in these other filling stations. However, he said the company is still in the process getting approval from government authorities to occupy these proposed sites. "We are seeking Napocor’s nod to allow us to occupy the abandoned Petron station in the Mile Long area," he said. "We also want to clear things with the Makati officials on the proposed Pasong Tamo filling station."

Putting up filling stations is one of the mitigation efforts of the Department of Energy (DOE) to avert the impact of rising oil prices.

Aside from setting up filling-stations at jeepney and bus terminals, the DOE is trying to work out other measures such as giving discounts at gas stations if buyers will purchase gasoline products in bulk; rollback toll fees at superhighways, suspension of import duty and specific tax exemption. – Donnabelle Gatdula