Big and small oil companies increased their prices of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene en masse Wednesday as consumers endured the third hike on the pump in as many weeks.

Oil giant Chevron Philippines implemented a P1 per liter hike on their products at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Total Philippines, considered the country’s fourth largest oil firm after Chevron, Pilipinas Shell, and Petron Corp., raised their prices by the same amount at 6 a.m. Meanwhile, small player Eastern Petroleum copied its rival firms’ increase also at 6 a.m.

It was recalled that Seaoil Philippines, another small player, initiated the uniform hike by announcing theirs as early as Tuesday afternoon.

With the latest adjustment, Eastern Petroleum has added a total of P4.50 a liter on its fuel products since Executive Order (EO) 839 or the fuel price freeze order was lifted. The oil firm padded prices by as much as P2 on November 18 and again by P1.50 six days later.

Fernando Martinez, Eastern Petroleum president, said that local oil companies need to get back between P4.50 and P5 per liter which represented their alleged losses while adhering to the price cap.

However, the oil executive could not say if the Wednesday increase would be the company’s last for this month.

“Right now it’s too early to tell,” said Martinez, who is also Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association (IPPCA) chairman.

Another petroleum company in Flying V Philippines has hinted at the possibility of imposing more price hikes in December. Flying V officials said that movements in world market price “post-EO” have yet to be reflected in the local scene.

Oil firms had imposed their ninth straight price rollback during the same time last year.

With the revocation of the price cap coming only last November 16, rollbacks seem to be the farthest from the minds of oil traders.