- CHERYL G. CRUZ
After a series of rollbacks since July 5, oil companies will implement a uniform pump price increases starting Tuesday, Aug. 23, with diesel up by P2.60 per liter, gasoline by P0.70 per liter, and kerosene at P2.80/L.
Oil companies said the increments, inclusive of the value-added tax, reflect the changes in the international oil market.
Net increase since the start of 2022 stood at P29.10/liter for diesel, P17.45/liter for gasoline, and P24.30/liter for kerosene, the Department of Energy Oil Monitor showed.
Energy Utilization Management Bureau director Patrick Aquino, meanwhile, said “this is the right time to sit down together and gather our thoughts and ideas to help the transportation sector reduce its dependence on imported oil, especially amidst the volatility of fuel prices.”
The government is eyeing to transition to a sustainable low-carbon future, consistent with its policy to enhance energy security through fuel diversification. In line with this, the DOE is conducting a series of public consultations to develop a blueprint that would provide a comprehensive and coordinated policy direction among national agencies to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of electric vehicles (EVs).
The enactment of Republic Act No. 11697, or the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), provides a national policy framework to develop the electric vehicle industry in the Philippines, the DOE said.
The series of public consultations on the development of the EVIDA implementing rules and regulations are scheduled Aug. 23 for the Luzon/NCR cluster, Aug. 25 for the Visayas/Mindanao cluster, and Aug. 31 for a nationwide plenary. The first national consultation was held online Aug. 19, the DOE said, adding the EVIDA-IRR is targeted to be promulgated on Sept. 8 this year.
EVIDA seeks to incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles and charging stations in the country. It mandates a 5 percent EV share in corporate and government fleets, provision of dedicated parking slots, installation of charging stations in parking lots and gasoline stations, green routes, and provision of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for EV manufacturing, and importation of charging station.
“It is expected that with the mass adoption of EVs, a new industry will blossom, high-value jobs will be generated, and more investments will come in,” Aquino said in a statement./CGC