Local fuel products are still overpriced, the Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) said.

According to PISTON Secretary General George San Mateo, the group “feels” that the prevailing prices of fuel are overpriced with the way oil companies have been choreographing their incremental price adjustments.

“Pakiramdam namin overpriced pa rin dahil kung magbaba sila ng presyo 25 centavos, pero kung magtaas piso-piso (We feel it is still overpriced because they rollback prices by 25 centavos but then add P1 at a time),” he said.

Oil firms reduced the retail price of diesel and kerosene by 50 centavos and 25 centavos, respectively, last February 15, only to impose a P1 per liter hike on all fuel products the following week.

In January 2009, then National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director Ralph Recto made the headlines when he claimed that domestic oil products were overpriced by P8 a liter.

What ensued was a word war between Recto and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, who questioned the former’s computing skills.

Diesel, the lifeblood of the jeepney-dominated local transport sector, is currently sold between P33 and P34 per liter in Metro Manila.

What is the “correct” price, then?

“Hindi namin alam yung eksaktong figure. Nakakalito. (We don’t know the exact figure. It's confusing),” said San Mateo.

“As of now, we have commissioned the IBON Foundation to make a study so that we’ll be updated on the correct prices,” San Mateo said, adding that they had to tap the independent think tank since the Department of Energy (DoE) has allegedly been uncooperative with the group.

“Walang makuhang datos sa DoE, tinatago nila yung datos (We couldn’t get any data from the DoE, they’re hiding the data),” claimed the transport leader.