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Brix Lelis - The Philippine Star
July 10, 2025 | 12:00am
Department of Energy.
Philstar.com / Irra Lising
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is not ruling out the possibility of a cartel in the Philippine oil industry as it sharpens its watch on “anti-competitive” practices by some players.
“I would not say that there is no cartel. Who they are is something to confirm… but I would say there’s still some form of anti-competitive behavior in some, not all,” DOE officer-in-charge Sharon Garin said in a press briefing yesterday.
Speculations over a cartel in the local scene have resurfaced following the strikingly similar fuel price adjustments among key oil players during the height of Middle East tensions.
Under the Oil Deregulation Law, cartelization refers to any agreement by refiners, importers and dealers to “fix prices, restrict outputs, or divide markets, either by products or by areas, in restraint of trade or free competition.”
Garin said any possible smuggling activities are reported to the Bureau of Customs, while any anti-competitive behavior is reported to the Philippine Competition Commission.
Oil price hike
Caltex, marketed by Chevron Philippines, is set to increase pump prices of petroleum products today.
In an advisory, Caltex announced price hikes of P0.25 per liter for gasoline, P0.50 per liter for diesel and P0.30 per liter for kerosene.
This marks the oil firm’s second price adjustment this week, following an earlier P0.25 per liter reduction for gasoline and kerosene and a P0.15 per liter increase for diesel.
The rollback was a result of the sustained ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which eased worries over oil supply disruptions, according to the DOE.
