2 gas stations in Malolos probed for hoarding

MALOLOS CITY, BULACAN—At least two gasoline stations in this capital city of Bulacan province are facing possible revocation of business permits due to complaints of hoarding, Mayor Christian Natividad said on Tuesday.

Natividad said they were completing the investigation into the reported hoarding activities by the gasoline stations based on complaints from many motorists.

According to reports, the fuel establishments closed operations on Monday and waited for the start of fuel price hike implementation past midnight on Tuesday.

“We will see to it that they will be punished. We will revoke their business permit if they are proven to have committed such violations,” he told reporters.

READ: Palace: 54 gas stations ordered to explain price hikes

The city government continues to monitor gasoline stations following the recent price hike in petroleum products due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Natividad said police were also increasing their visibility to help keep fuel prices at regular and standard rates.

On Tuesday, many gasoline stations in this city, considered one of the major economic centers in Bulacan, increased their prices to more than P70 per liter.

But Petron was among the very few that continued to maintain a price of P65.00 per liter of gasoline.

Even the RePhil gasoline station in Tabang, Guiguinto, previously selling the lowest fuel price, has been selling gasoline at more than P70 per liter since Monday night.

4-day work week

This developed as the provincial government of Bulacan, the city government of Malolos, and other local government units in the province adopted the four-day work week on Wednesday.

READ: DILG sets guidelines for 4-day workweek

Gov. Daniel Fernando said work in all provincial government offices would be from Monday to Thursday, except for offices providing essential services like health, emergency response, and other vital social functions, which would remain open until Friday.

Mayor Natividad said city government offices would start from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. work from Monday to Thursday, but a skeletal force would remain on Friday to attend to the pressing needs of the people.

The city will also observe during its first hour at work.

Natividad said the city government had assisted 10 families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFE) affected by the non-remittance of monthly salaries of their loved ones in areas affected by the war in the Middle East and the attacks by US-Israeli troops on Iran.

Corina Tengco-Bautista, president of the Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), said the private sector also has a role to play in cushioning the crisis’s impact. She said business owners should provide measures, such as a 1 to 2-day work-from-home scheme, to minimize electricity consumption.

Bautista suggested shutting off office lights from 12-1 p.m. and minimizing the use of air conditioning for at least half an hour before office closing time, Bautista added./coa