The Department of Energy (DoE) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) should strictly monitor the sale of petroleum products following complaints of alleged price manipulation by some oil dealers, a Valenzuela City councilor said Thursday.

Councilor Alvin “Isko” Feliciano, concurrently the city's Liga ng Barangay (LnB) president, also directed the city's barangay officials to strictly monitor gasoline stations and LPG dealers located in their areas for unscrupulous dealers who are jacking up their prices.

Feliciano said residents have complained of a P2 to P3 increase per liter being imposed by some gasoline stations in different parts of the city in violation of the law.

He said the owners of these establishments could be illegally manipulating the prices of petroleum products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) which have significantly gone up, forcing residents to use wood and charcoal.

“Kung magtutulung-tulungan ang DoE at DTI, ang pagmamalabis ng mga may-ari ng gasoline station sa aming lungsod ay posibleng gayahin ng iba pang negosyante sa ibang lugar kaya’t hanggang maaga ay dapat na itong aksiyunan,” the city councilor said.

Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian and his brother Rep. Rex Gatchalian earlier urged gasoline station owners to be fair in the pricing of petroleum products, stressing that the business sector should not only think of profit during these hard times.