The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives described the staggered--but still pocket-draining--pump price hikes imposed by local fuel companies this week as a "joke".

Militant solons ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co gave the oil firms a piece of their mind on Tuesday, March 10, amid the imposition of what the Department of Energy (DOE) projected as a P17 to P24 per liter increase on gasoline and diesel

"The staggered increase is also a joke since it will only be spread via three consecutive days," the bloc members said in a joint statement.

"We, the Makabayan bloc, condemn the oil cartel’s shameless exploitation of the crisis in Iran and West Asia to manipulate pump prices and squeeze superprofits from a people already drowning in hunger wages and soaring costs of living," they said.

They said the price shock--the biggest since the Oil Deregulation Law took effect in 1998--"exposes the brutal reality that deregulation did not create competition; it consolidated corporate power, enabled coordinated price increases, and left the public defenseless".

"We condemn the Marcos Jr. administration for failing to act fast and decisively in the face of this historic oil price hike. Token show-cause orders, moral lectures against 'profiteering', and threats of legal action ring hollow when government policy itself guarantees oil firms the freedom to pass on every shock, pad margins, and stagger increases at will," the militants said.

"Hindi makatwirang magbanta sa ilang gasolinahan habang pinananatili ang mismong batas na nagluluwag sa kartel at nagkakadena sa mamamayan (It's unreasonable to threaten certain gas stations while keeping in place the very law that loosens cartel control and chains the citizens," they said, referring to the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998.

The Makabayan also rejected the "cruel" suggestion for the public "simply tighten belts and conserve fuel while millions are already forced to skip meals, accept punishing commutes, and stretch impossible budgets".

The group further reckoned that the administration’s talk of emergency powers was just a smokescreen for its own lack of planning and its refusal to confront the oil cartel and the failed deregulation framework.

The increase in diesel prices ranged from P17.50 to P24.25 a liter, with fuel retailers splitting the adjustments into two to seven tranches. Meanwhile gasoline prices became more expensive by P7 to P13 a liter starting Tuesday.