No price hike in goods amid higher fuel costs

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July 19, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Consumers can expect prices of basic goods to remain steady for now despite a looming fuel price hike due to renewed tensions in the Middle East.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the Go Negosyo MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) Summit yesterday that the agency has not received petitions from manufacturers of basic necessities and prime commodities (BNPCs) for price hikes.

If tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate, Roque said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would hold meetings with BNPC manufacturers.

Earlier, the Department of Energy said fuel prices could see an “extra-large” adjustment on July 21, amid renewed conflict in the Middle East.

The price increase could reach over P10 per liter for diesel.

Roque said the DTI approved increases of less than 10 percent in the suggested retail prices (SRP) of canned sardines and candles last May due to high fuel prices.  The SRP for 155-gram of canned sardines currently ranges from P18 to P24.75.

Meanwhile, the SRP for candles ranges from P48.50 to P121.50 (four pieces per pack) and P59.41 to P220 (two pieces per pack).

Apart from canned sardines and candles, other BNPCs under the DTI’s jurisdiction include
 processed milk, bread, coffee, locally-manufactured instant noodles, bottled water, laundry soap, salt, canned meat, condiments and toilet soap.

Bills shocks

Congress should amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA to address widespread complaints of bill shocks or sudden spike in electricity bills, according to consumer group Partners for Affordable and Reliable Energy (PARE).

“The framers of that law solved the problem [of electricity] in the years 2000 and 2001. It’s already 2026,” PARE chief advocate officer Nic Satur Jr. told radio dzBB yesterday.

Satur said the 50 percent allowable supply cap for distribution firms to source their supply from affiliated generation companies reeks of conflict of interest.

“Under the anti-competition law, it should have been prohibited, but under EPIRA, 50 percent is allowed… Why do electricity firms not complain about a lot of taxes, only consumers? Because it’s only the consumers that pay all of that,” he said.

Satur slammed electricity players for being “relaxed” and in “chill mode,” lamenting that they pass all these charges to consumers.

He also criticized distribution firms for charging system loss to consumers, which allows companies to recover losses when power traveling from plants to homes is lost. Electricity can dissipate either through technical reasons, such as heat, or non-technical reasons such as illegal connections or jumpers.

The government caps system loss at 8.5 percent which could be brought down to five percent, according to Satur.

Still, this is not enough to bring down electricity costs which, for Satur, has three primary challenges.

First is the price increase in energy products like coal and diesel used by the plants.

“Once the price of imported raw materials goes up, the charges automatically pass on to the production of electricity,” he stressed.

Second is the power supply agreements being entered into between generation and distribution firms.

“If our electric cooperatives or our distribution utilities made a mistake in choosing a supplier, that’s one of the reasons why the price of electricity will go up,” he said.

And third is the “inefficiency” of the power sector as a whole.

“The inefficiency is that many plants are shut down and our regulators are weak in implementing laws,” Satur argued.

PARE also wants the government to look into whether the simultaneous shutdown of power plants is merely coincidental or deliberate.

“There are unscheduled shutdowns. The price increase is happening at the same time. And there are also problems in the transmission grid,” Satur said.

“We’re not saying that they’re all done on purpose. What we’re saying is, why is it happening? So, we should investigate so that if it’s proven that it’s all on purpose, someone should be held accountable,” he added. — EJ Macababbad