Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano urged the Aquino administration to instruct the Commission on Audit (COA) to open and examine the books of local oil companies in a bid for transparency in determining the justifications of recent oil price hikes.
On March 1, local oil companies raised prices by P1.25 – P2 per liter for gasoline and P 1.00 for diesel and kerosene products following the increase in the prices of refined petroleum products in the international market.
Cayetano noted that while oil companies are among those who report the biggest yearly revenues, they remain adamant in refusing to lower their prices.
“They always claim that they will lose revenue if they lower their prices,” he said.
The senator opted not to pass his own judgment on whether the oil companies are right or wrong. Instead, he challenged the government to encourage transparency between oil companies and consumers. “We simply want to protect the welfare of consumers”, added Cayetano.
He further explained that if the government, through COA, could look into the books of the oil companies, we can verify that there is no overpricing and the increase in oil prices are accurately based on market forces.
As we’ve always said,” Cayetano said in Filipino, “If they have nothing to hide then they have nothing to fear.”
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