Gas prices may go up this week

MANILA, Philippines - Oil companies are expected to raise gasoline and diesel prices again this week, which would mark the third round of oil price hikes this month and the sixth consecutive week of price increases, a ranking energy official yesterday said.

While no oil firm has issued specific advisories as of yesterday, Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau director Zenaida Monsada said that based on their monitoring of global crude prices, local petroleum companies may jack up prices by more than P1 per liter for diesel and more than 80 centavos per liter for gasoline.

Monsada said the computation takes into account foreign exchange adjustment, a factor that affects pump prices because oil is an imported commodity.

She said that there is an apparent tightness in world crude supply because of political tensions in Syria, which can affect global economic conditions.

On the back of relentless oil price increases, the government’s hands are tied on the matter, Monsada said.

“The Philippines and the Department of Energy have no control over international market developments,” Monsada said.

Oil companies announced last week an 80-centavo per liter increase for gasoline but also announced a rollback of 15 centavos per liter for kerosene. The oil firms kept diesel prices unchanged.

Last week’s adjustment brought prices of gasoline to a range of P46.60 to P54.55 per liter. Prices of diesel stayed at P38.10 to P41.45 per liter.

Last week’s price increase also followed an increase in electricity rates.

The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s biggest power distributor, announced a power rate increase of 22 centavos per kilowatt-hour to be reflected in the June electricity bills.

The upward adjustment in electricity rates would translate to a P44 increase in the June statement of a typical household consuming 200 kilowatthours (kwh).

Meralco, a company led by businessman Manuel Pangilinan, said the rate increase stemmed from higher generation charge for June, which increased by 19 centavos per kwh to P5.66 per kwh.