Filipino motorists will have extended "happy days" next week, as prices at domestic pumps will be on fresh round of rollback by Tuesday, Nov. 22, based on the calculations of the oil companies.
Industry players estimated that the price of diesel will go down by P2.10 to P2.40 per liter, while gasoline will be reduced by P0.80 to P1.00 per liter.
The price of kerosene, another vital commodity predominantly used by the aviation sector as well as cooking fuel for some residential end-users, will also be slashed by P1.90 to P2.10 per liter.
The downtrend in prices next week will reflect the outcome of trading in the regional market as indexed on the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), the pricing reference being employed by the players of the deregulated downstream oil industry in their weekly cost swings.
Prior to the forthcoming round of price adjustment, a monitoring report of the Department of Energy (DOE) has shown that price adjustments since the start of the year still logged net increases, and still a bit far off from pre-pandemic level of prices.
For an import dependent country like the Philippines, the softened global oil prices in recent weeks proved beneficial especially so since most, if not all, Filipino consumers are now at the thick of preparations for the Christmas season.
Shopping malls turned to be a commanding driving destination for many – especially during weekends, hence, any reduction in fuel budgets could partly ease cost burden on the consumers.
Adding to the routine travel activities of Filipinos are the usual reunion or gathering of family and friends that are expected to intensify as the Christmas holidays inch closer.
On the global sphere, there are no definitive trajectory yet how oil prices will shape in the coming weeks and months, but in the general sense, experts still predict continued high prices reigning in markets for a longer period.
Nevertheless, international benchmark Brent crude substantially skidded to $87 per barrel as of end-Friday trading last week, primarily due to mollified supply worries relative to the easing of COVID restrictions in China as well as the anticipated interest rate hike to be enforced by the US Federal Reserve.