For Leyte Governor and former Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla, what consumers in Leyte need are informed decisions on where to find affordable gasoline in the province.
In light of the recent spike of gasoline prices in the province due to the Middle East conflict, Petilla has urged local officials for a gas price monitoring mobile application for Leytenos.
The governor also called for the enactment of municipal and provincial ordinances requiring gasoline station owners to post updated fuel prices online through the QGas platform.
"Can you pass an ordinance requiring gas stations to post their prices every time they change? Perhaps the province can also enact a similar ordinance," Petilla said in a statement.
QGas is a real-time monitoring application designed to provide the public with updated information on fuel prices at gasoline stations across Leyte.
The system gathers data through personnel from municipal agriculture offices, extension service providers, selected provincial government employees, and municipal police stations using whitelisted Android phones connected to a cloud-based server.
Application users can then access the collected information.
According to Petilla, the application will not only enable consumers to determine where they can get affordable gasoline products but also ensure accountability among fuel retailers.
To recall, several gasoline stations in Leyte have come under close scrutiny by authorities after hiking their prices beyond the expected market-dictated oil price increases, as well as hiking prices before the announced schedule of the price adjustments.
While the ordinance has yet to be enacted, the governor urged LGUs to assist in the weekly monitoring and updating of oil prices.
Personnel designated to join the monitoring team in each LGU will undergo an hour-long training on how to use the application.
Petilla also sought the assistance of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to help monitor fuel prices even in areas beyond the direct jurisdiction of the provincial government, allowing QGas to serve a wider number of consumers.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Director Bato pledged support by mobilizing personnel assigned to Negosyo Centers in every LGU to assist in fuel price monitoring and updates through the QGas application.If successful, the QGas application can also serve as a template for other local governments seeking to provide consumers with accurate and timely data on gasoline prices.
(With report from PNA)
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