MANILA – A collusion among oil retailers could prompt the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to investigate industry players to ensure that oil prices remain competitive, an official said recently.
Speaking to dzMM, PCC commissioner Johannes Bernabe said the competition watchdog is not mandated to meddle in oil pricing but could investigate unfair practices resulting in surges in rates.
Starting Tuesday, May 15, the prices of gasoline and diesel products will increase by P1.10 and P1.20 respectively.
“Ang binabantayan po ng PCC ay kung nagkakaroon ng kasunduan o nagkakaroon ng sinasabing abuso sa pagiging dominante sa merkado itong mga nangangalakal sa langis sa ating oil industry,” Bernabe said.
Bernabe said the commission is actively monitoring the “price patterns” and “data points” over a long period of time to spot any anomaly.
“Hindi puwedeng maikling period lang ang ating titingnan so medyo masalimuot na trabaho po ito,” he said. (ABS-CBN News)
