CEBU CITY, Philippines-- A campaign against the buying of oil products from the Big 3 oil companies is taking shape in Cebu.
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Samuel Chioson said they have been trying to build up support for the boycott among the group’s members to protest the selling of oil products at prices higher than those in Manila.
In Manila, the price of unleaded gasoline range from P38.85 to P39.41, about P5 less than the price in Cebu of P45.19.
The diesel in Manila also sells from P28.35 to P34.25, also below the P36.31 per liter price in Cebu.
During a recent press briefing, Chioson called on all sectors to join the fight against oil prices by refraining from sourcing their fuel requirements from the Big 3 -- Petron, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Chevron (Caltex) Philippines.
CCCI vice president for external affairs Ted Locson said the chamber would encourage members, especially those who have been using a lot of fuel, to patronize only the independent oil companies.
However, Chioson admitted that the campaign would have a huge impact on the sales of the Big 3 if the independent oil players had enough number of gas stations to meet the requirements of Cebu.
At present, the independent oil companies have 21 outlets, way below the 223 gasoline stations of the Big 3, according to Chioson.
The CCCI board of directors agreed that the chamber would help match independent oil companies with local investors and find locations for gas stations to speed up the setting up of their outlets here, Locson said.
Locson said they were getting in touch with small oil companies to formalize their offer of helping facilitate their entry here.
The Cebu Chamber, along with other business groups here, has been at the forefront in campaigning against high oil prices in Cebu for months now.
Together with Cebu Gwendolyn Garcia, the CCCI and other business groups filed a complaint before the joint task force of the Departments of Justice, and Energy, against Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp. and Chevron Corp. for violation of Section II of the Republic Act 8479, otherwise known as the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998.
The law penalizes cartel behavior and predatory pricing oil scheme.
A Cebu Chamber informal survey showed that the prices of oil products in Cebu were higher by up to P8 per liter compared to those in Metro Manila and even Davao.
In a letter, Chioson informed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that the CCCI monitoring showed that diesel in Metro Manila cost P28 per liter as of October 27, way below the P38 per liter price in Cebu, up by P8.85.
The joint task force held a hearing in Cebu, attended by representatives of the big three oil companies.
However, the representatives of the big three oil companies insisted that the transportation costs have driven up the price of oils. They also maintained that smuggling of oil products in the other areas of country also forced them to cut prices.
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