4 fuel companies to offer minimum P1/liter discount for PUVs —DOE

Four fuel companies have agreed to give discounts to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers to help them cope with the recent price hikes, Department of Energy (DOE) officer-in-charge Secretary Sharon Garin said Sunday.

"Nakausap natin 'yung Petron, Caltex, Shell at Cleanfuel. Every day naman, 'yan mini-meeting kada isa. At least meron silang mga P1 discount sa kada litro sa lahat ng public utility vehicles," Garin said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(We were able to talk to Petron, Caltex, Shell, and Cleanfuel. Every day, we meet with each of them. They have at least P1 discount per liter for all PUVs.)

"So bawi rin 'yan kasi hindi namin masyadong makontrol ang presyo. Sabi ng batas, 'wag niyong kontrolin. So humihingi kami ng tulong sa mga oil companies," she added.

(So that's a big help because we could not control much the prices. The law says we should not control [the prices]. So we ask for help from the oil companies.)

"So far, 'yung apat pa lang [na kompanya] ang na-confirm ko (I confirmed only the four companies)," Garin said.

Garin said fuel companies also have various promos which serve as loyalty programs and these give discounts to private motorists.

Pump prices were hiked twice last week following five straight weeks of increases for gasoline, three for diesel, and two for kerosene.

Prices per liter of gasoline went up by P1.75, diesel by P2.60, and kerosene by P2.40 on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

The same price increases also took effect on Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Fuel retailers agreed to implement scheduled pump price hikes last week on a staggered basis in a bid to ease the burden of potential major adjustments, the DOE said. 

The prices in fuel went up as the conflict between Israel and Iran threatened global shipping passage.

Motorists however, could look forward to a sigh of relief this week with an expected rollback in fuel prices, which may be as much as P2 per liter.

"Sa calculations namin, meron talagang ibababa [ang presyo] sa Tuesday," Garin said.

(Based on our calculations, prices would indeed go down on Tuesday.)

The DOE chief explained that diesel and gas are imported by the Philippines, so the pricing depends on the international market.

"Wala tayong sariling source. Ini-import natin lahat," she said, adding that a long-term solution is to develop our own energy sources.

(We don't have our own source. We import all [diesel and gasoline].)

On fuel price adjustments, sometimes these favor the consumer, and sometimes the oil companies, Garin said.

"Minsan lugi ‘yung consumer. Minsan lugi rin ‘yung oil company. Depende sa sitwasyon," she said.

(Sometimes the consumer loses. Sometimes the oil company loses. It depends on the situation.)

With the conflict between Israel and Iran easing a bit due to the ceasefire currently in effect, fuel prices may go down, she said.

"Ako umaasa ako na lalo pa siyang bababa. At may additional pa next week. We just have to wait. Kasi pababa rin naman siya, eh," Garin added.

(I am hoping that the price decreases would continue. And there's an additional [rollback] that may be expected next week. We just have to wait. Because the prices [in the world market] are going down.) —KG, GMA Integrated News