Baguio City lone district Rep. Mark Go (Facebook)

A congressman has appealed to oil companies to bring down their fuel prices in Baguio, as he noted that the high fuel prices haven taken its a toll on consumers. 

In a House Committee on Energy hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 22, Baguio City lone district Rep. Mark Go requested a P6 per liter price reduction on fuel prices. 

Department of Energy (DOE) Oil Industry Management Bureau Director Rino Abad suggested during the hearing that fuel prices in Baguio should be comparable to that of Metro Manila. 

According to the DOE, the current average for the price of diesel in Baguio ranges from P66 to P67. In Metro Manila, the average is around P62.

The committee hearing on Wednesday was held to inquire about the disparity of fuel prices, particularly in Baguio and its neighboring province, La Union. 

Despite the relative proximity to one another, fuel prices in La Union are way cheaper compared to Baguio. 

For example, the price of diesel in the municipality of Rosario in La Union ranges from P54 to P55. 

With this, Marinduque lone district Rep. and former House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco even quipped, “La Union kumikita, Baguio nagta-traffic” (La Union makes the money, Baguio gets the traffic). 

The oil companies argue that the disparity is a consequence of Baguio’s higher cost of doing business, lease, trading area, and the increase by independent fuel companies. 

“The level of competition in La Union is really more intense than compared to Baguio and further, in Baguio, there are other costs that contribute to the price difference,” Chevron Corporate Affairs Advisor Joel Gaviola explained. 

Also present during the hearing was Batangas 5th district Rep. Marvey Mariño, who requested a P4 per liter price reduction for Batangas. --Dexter Barro II