'Big 3' oil firms raise diesel prices by P0.60 per liter

Three oil firms — Chevron Philippines, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp. — raised diesel prices by P0.60 per liter as of 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday. However, the "Big Three" oil firms also cut the price of regular gasoline by P1 per liter as other oil companies had done on Monday. As of March 15, gasoline was sold at P52.25 to P57.96 per liter while diesel was sold at P44.65 to P46.65 per liter. In another development, Petron assured the public that it will investigate the alleged liquefied petroleum gas leak on Monday at one of its AutoLPG dispensing pumps in Sta. Cruz Manila. "We immediately dispatched our safety and environmental team onsite. Our service stations are equipped with several safety features including an automatic shut off of the pipelines once there are changes in pressure along the line (e.g. a leak). This safety feature was immediately triggered and shut down the LPG pipeline," Petron said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The company followed a standard operating procedure by cordoning off the area where the leak was reported. All possible sources of ignition (e.g. electrical lights) were also shut down. Petron personnel also coordinated with the Bureau of Fire Protection and Philippine National Police. "The leak was contained immediately. Our engineers have detected the source of the leak and is in the process of replacing the defective pump. There is no longer any danger to people and property. We wish to assure the public that we will fully investigate the incident," Petron said. – VVP/OMG, GMA News