ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo (Facebook)

The House of Representatives leadership is asking the big oil firms to implement discounts reaching up to P4 per liter on their pump fuel products. 

This was bared by Deputy Majority Leader and ACT-CIS Party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo late Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 26, directly after a "consultative meeting" between House officials and oil company representatives. 

According to Tulfo, the oil firms offered to implement discounts of P1 to P2 per liter to public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers as a way to help cushion the blow of costly fuel prices. 

Before this week, price hikes were imposed at the pump for 11 consecutive weeks. 

Tulfo said discounts of P1 to P2 per liter simply won't cut it. "It's not sufficient," he said, adding that such discounts were given back when gasoline and diesel hovered at P50 per liter. 

"So parang, hindi mo na mararamdaman. Eh P70 [per liter] na ngayon di ba? Panahon pa yata ni PNoy yun...nandyan na yung mga discount (It's like, you won't be able to feel that. Pump prices are at P70 [per liter] now. That kind of discount has been around since PNoy's time)," the ACT-CIS solon said, referring to the late former president Benigno S. Aquino IIl. 

"Ang pakiusap nalang namin ngayon sa Kongreso, dagdagan niyo yung mga discounts na binibigay niyong big three, baka pwede niyong doblehin or dagdagan ng piso, dalawampiso sa mga discount sa gasolina, diesel. Malaking maitutulong. 

(What Congress is appealing for is for the big three to either double or add a peso or two to these discounts on gasoline and diesel. This will be a huge help.) 



Tulfo specifically directed the appeal to the bigger oil companies, as he said that pump prices of smaller, independent oil players are already lower by comparison. 

Tuesday's consultative meeting was the second in as many weeks. There won't be a third meeting, the neophyte lawmaker said. 

"We'll just wait for their decision...So we'll wait for a few days kung dadagdagan nila yung discounts nila (So we'll wait for a few days if they will increase the discounts)," he said. 

And in case nothing happens, Tulfo say the lawmakers can still bank on their "weapons". 

"Pwedeng i-review ulit yung oil deregulation law. Mas mabigat yung pag niregulate natin...pag binasura ho natin yan, mas aaray po sila (We can hold a review of the oil deregulation law. This will have a bigger effect...if we junk that, that will hurt them more)," he said, recalling what was discussed during the first meeting. 

"So mayroon pa hong weapons pa ho tayo, mayroon pa tayong ika nga, pam-bargain sa kanila (So we still have weapons, we still have bargaining chips)," he said.