Surprise! Pump prices up P1/liter

MANILA, Philippines - Petron Corp., Chevron Philippines, Seaoil Philippines Corp. and Eastern Petroleum Corp. made unannounced increases in their pump prices of P1 per liter yesterday.

The oil firms implemented the price hikes early yesterday, catching consumers by surprise. The companies said the oil price hike reflected the upward trend in global petroleum market prices.

The increase came after a series of price reductions over the past weeks.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Task Force on the Security on Energy Facilities and Enforcement of Energy Laws and Standards conducted a series of operations in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region.

Targets were establishments selling LPG tanks with no seal, fake seal, underfilled, unbranded, dilapidated, no tare, weight markings and other unsafe practices.

On Feb. 4 and 5, some 131 assorted LPG tanks were seized in Manila and Quezon City.

The Task Force also confiscated on Feb. 16 about 402 defective LPG tanks in Baguio City and Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region.

On Feb. 17 and 18, around 146 illegal LPG tanks were seized in Manaoag, Rosales and Pozurrobio, Pangasinan in Region 1 for a total of 679 LPG tanks netted in the five-day operation.

Representatives from the Oil Industry Management Bureau of the Department of Energy, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police and LPG Task Force participated in the operation.

The seized LPG tanks were impounded at LPGTF warehouses in Antipolo City, Rizal and in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan for safekeeping as evidence in the filing of appropriate charges against the owners.