Congressional probe on oil prices pushed

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines — Fuel prices in Bohol again increased resulting in an average disparity of P8 per liter compared to prices in neighboring provinces, prompting Bohol officials to call for a congressional probe on the matter.

The price hikes carried out by the oil companies on July 1, brought the average price of unleaded gasoline in Bohol to P58.20 per liter, while it remained at an average of P50 per liter in Cebu and Negros Oriental. The diesel price in Bohol hit an average of P48.20 per liter, while it only ranged at an average of P40 to P42 per liter in other areas.

Governor Edgar Chatto met with Provincial Board members, headed by Vice Governor Concepcion Lim, and the congressmen of the province's three districts—Representatives Rene Relampagos, Aristotle Aumentado and Arthur Yap—and they agreed to lobby for a congressional inquiry on the high prices of fuel in Bohol and the obvious disparity of these prices with those in other provinces.

The officials also mulled on filing a complaint with the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice regarding the issue.

Chatto presented during the meetings the data gathered by the provincial price monitoring team showing the variance in fuel pricing in the Visayas area, with gas stations in Bohol posting the highest prices of them all.

The P3 per liter rollback implemented by gas stations in Bohol last April—when there was no price movement in other areas of the country—and it was supposed to narrow the gap of the prices here with those in other provinces.

However, the price war in other areas of the country further brought the prices lower, gradually putting back the disparity with Bohol prices at an average of P8 per liter.