The Manila Times
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday vowed to crack down on liquefied petroleum gas retailers who were hoarding and manipulating prices during the oil price crisis. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., PNP chief, said the move aimed to protect the public from artificial price increases during a period of tight supply. “I have directed our local police to heighten monitoring of retailers to prevent hoarding and price manipulation of LPG amid the present energy challenges that we are facing,” he said in a statement. The move is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla to ensure an adequate supply of petroleum products amid energy challenges caused by conflict in the Middle East. He said proper coordination was now being done with the local government units and other agencies concerned to come up with measures against hoarding and profiteering. The Department of Energy (DOE) said it was closely monitoring the supply of LPG, which may only last up to 24 days, including incoming deliveries. Based on the DOE’s March 20 inventory and daily average utilization, the Philippines still has a sufficient petroleum products supply such as gasoline and diesel. However, LPG has the lowest supply. For March, MPG prices in Metro Manila have now spiked from P825 to over P1,000 per regular tank, according to the DOE. Nartatez assured the public that the police would not hesitate to go after retailers who would take advantage of the situation. “This is not the time to panic and this should never be the time to take advantage of any of our kababayan. While the national government is exhausting all measures to help, we in the PNP will also make sure that consumers are always protected,” said Nartatez.
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