Shell, Petron give 50¢/liter discount to PUVs

MANILA, Philippines - Oil majors Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Petron Corp. announced yesterday that they would offer a 50-centavo per liter discount to the transport sector starting Jan.1, 2011.

In a statement, Shell vice president for communications Roberto Kanapi said the move is in response to government’s call to help the transport sector cushion the impact of rising oil prices.

Kanapi said the discount will effectively expand its Pepeng Pasada Loyalty Rewards Program which gives out discounts on diesel for jeeps and buses.

According to Kanapi, the discount will be made available to members of Shell’s Pepeng Pasada Loyalty Rewards Program for public utility vehicle drivers and may be availed through Pepeng Pasada lanes initially in 15 retail sites across Metro Manila.

“The Pepeng Pasada discount comes at a time when international oil prices are rising. We hope that through this discount, we are able to help cushion the impact on the transport sector,” Kanapi said.

He said the discount is among the various benefits of the expanded Pepeng Pasada Loyalty Rewards Program, which include rewards like free accident insurance and home appliances, among others, in exchange for points.

“For many years, Shell has been implementing various programs for the transport sector through lasting and sustainable means,” Kanapi added.

Petron, for its part, said amid volatile international oil prices, they would continue to maintain discounted diesel prices for public utility vehicles in hundreds of its service stations nationwide.

“We would like to assure the public that Petron will continue to provide diesel discounts to mitigate the impact of rising crude oil and finished product prices in the international market,” Petron public affairs head Charmaine V. Canillas said. “This is part of our commitment to ensure sustainability of the transport sector.

As part of our efforts to make cheap fuels available, Petron, in fact, launched, in August Pinoy Gasoline, which is priced P3 per liter lower than our Xtra premium gasoline brand. Pinoy Gasoline is a more affordable gasoline formulation for taxis, tricycles, bancas and farm equipment.”

She added that in many highly competitive areas in Metro Manila and other provinces, public utility drivers have been enjoying a P3-P4/liter discount on their diesel purchases at Petron stations.