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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Economy devider DOE suspects 'anti-competitive behavior' among oil companies

DOE suspects 'anti-competitive behavior' among oil companies

Published Jul 9, 2025 03:01 pm
DOE Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Sharon S. Garin
DOE Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Sharon S. Garin
The Department of Energy (DOE) has been keeping an eye out for potential violations within the oil industry amid concerns over possible cartelization.
DOE Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Sharon S. Garin explained that the agency does not have official policies on these matters; however, it can act as a watchdog, acknowledging the potential presence of anti-competitive behavior among fuel companies.
“I would not say that there is no cartel. Who they are, that is something to confirm, but if there is no cartel, there’s no purpose for the Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) to be on guard all the time. But I would say there's still some form of anti-competitive behavior in some, not all,” she told reporters in a media briefing on Wednesday, July 9.
“We are constantly monitoring this. We don’t have any policing powers, I have to say that because if we do observe possible smuggling activity, we report it to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), or any declaration on the part of the oil companies we report it to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or the Department of Finance (DOF), or if any anti-competitive behavior, then it’s the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) or the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).”
DOE-OIMB Director Rodela Romero further explained that cartelization is a form of delinquency in the oil industry.
“In addition, in fact, one of the violations in the Oil Deregulation Law is the cartelization, that’s why if we receive some kind of complaint, we have the option to conduct a necessary investigation,” she emphasized.
Romero explained that there are various gas stations offering cost-competitive prices despite following the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) benchmark, stating that, “There are gas stations offering the lowest possible prices, that’s why we see a range. For example, in a certain area, even with the same adjustment, the pump price remains low... There’s also a maximum.”
“That’s why they’re actively monitoring and they report every Monday morning… Unfortunately, though, we are not given the authority, not even just disclose or to investigate their reporting, we just need to monitor it that it matches the increases of the adjustments in the international market,” Garin added.

Related Tags

Department of Energy (DOE) Sharon S. Garin Rodela Romero Department of Energy-Oil Industry Management Bureau (DOE-OIMB) cartel
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