Baguio solon files resolution probing Baguio fuel price disparity anew

Photo courtesy Office of the Congressman Mark Go

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go filed a resolution directing the House Committee on Energy to conduct an inquiry on the sustained high fuel prices in Northern Luzon, particularly in Baguio City.

Rep. Go’s resolution (House Resolution No. 929) cited RA 8479 or the Downstream Oil Industry Regulation Act, which states that the Department of Energy shall monitor the relationship between the oil companies and their dealers, haulers, and LPG distributors to help ensure the observance of fair and equitable practices.

According to Rep. Go, the oil hike increments trigger higher inflation rates and directly affect consumers. He also blasted the current large disparity of fuel pump prices between Baguio City and the neighboring municipality of Rosario, La Union.

This is not the first time that the Baguio solon has hit back at expensive fuel prices in the city, filing similar resolutions in the 17th and 18th Congress directing the House Committee on Energy to investigate the alleged overpricing of fuel in the region.

According to Rep. Go, major companies such as Petron, Chevron, and Shell have agreed to a rollback in fuel prices in Baguio City after numerous persistent appeals and separate meetings, with a decrease of P5 to 6 in gasoline and P1.50 to 2 rollbacks in diesel in 2017.

Yet despite the successful rollback of prices six years ago, a wide disparity remains between pump prices in La Union and Baguio, a fact that Go called “questionable” with an average price disparity of P7 per liter for gasoline and P4 per liter for diesel.

“High price of fuel burdens the people which equates to a lesser purchasing power on the part of the consumers. At present, oil deregulation has allowed the unguarded increase of oil prices with adverse impact on the prices of basic commodities and other services,” Rep. Go said. ### (PR)