Already weary from price hikes the past weeks, public utility jeep (PUJ) groups are bracing themselves for more increases in the coming days as oil companies quietly jacked up their prices by 50 centavos Tuesday night.

No thanks to the successive hikes, the price of diesel – the lifeblood of the local transport sector – has climbed by at least P2.50 a liter since February 23. On the other hand, gasoline price have gone up by P3 a liter and kerosene, by P2.50 a liter.

Monitoring conducted at major and independent oil companies on Wednesday bared the following average retail price of fuel products: P35 for diesel, P44.50 for gasoline, and P44.50 for kerosene.

George San Mateo, Pinag-isang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) secretary general, has said they would seek a provisional fare increase before the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) once diesel hits the P35-liter plateau.

Earlier this week, an oil industry insider told the Manila Bulletin that petroleum firms would implement another price hike “probably worth P0.75 a liter on all fuel products.” The same source later relented.

What was imposed on Tuesday was a P0.50 per liter increase on diesel, gasoline, and kerosene which went unannounced by the oil companies.

By Wednesday midnight, the “Big Three” composed of Pilipinas Shell, Petron Corp. Chevron Philippine and small player Seaoil Philippines have already implemented the half-peso hike on their products.

The same companies said on Wednesday that the mark up was made to reflect the rise in international crude costs. Other oil firms have yet to announce an adjustment for this week, although they would surely follow suit.

Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations (ACTO) President Efren de Luna, for his part, reckoned that it would be better for the government to employ a rigid “reward system” wherein jeepney fare is adjusted accordingly to movements in fuel price. “Sa bawat P5 na bawas sa diesel, bababa ang pasahe ng P0.50. Kung tumaas naman ang diesel ng R5, dapat tataas din pasahe ng R0.50,” De Luna said. (“If diesel price falls by P5, then fare is reduced by P0.50. If it’s raised by P5 then fare must also increase by P0.50.”)

“Para agad na maramdaman ng mga tao ang benepisyo,” explained the transport head. (“So that people would immediately feel the benefits (of a fuel price rollback.”)

Under the current process, transport groups file a petition for fare increase before the LTFRB, which the agency then tackles in a series of hearings that may last for weeks.

But De Luna said oil firms can “disrupt” this process by rolling back pump prices in the middle of the hearings, rendering the requested fare hike unnecessary.

Big and small oil firms have so far jacked up pump prices for four straight weeks. For De Luna, this is already reason enough to raise jeepney fare.