Other oil companies joined the latest round of fuel price hikes Tuesday morning, adding P0.75 a liter to their prices of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.

Seaoil Philippines, an independent player, imposed its price increase at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Implementing the same adjustment at 6 a.m. were major oil companies Chevron Philippines (formerly Caltex) and Total Philippines. Chevron, along with Pilipinas Shell and Petron Corp., comprise the country’s “Big Three” oil firms, while Total is considered the fourth largest oil refiner.

Meanwhile, another independent  firm, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, also enforced an increase of P0.75 a liter but only on gasoline and diesel products. The company which has extensive operations in Mindanao implemented the increase at 6 a.m.

Phoenix Petroleum spokesperson Raymond Zorilla said Tuesday’s price hike was made to reflect the price movements of competitors in the local market and the increase in prices of finished petroleum products in the international market.

Shell and small player Eastern Petroleum Philippines had earlier started the latest round of price increases.

The latest price tweak brought the average retail price of fuel in Metro Manila to P43 for gasoline (unleaded); P34 for diesel, and P43 for kerosene.

Tuesday’s price increase was the first “sweeping” hike from the oil companies since June 22, when all petroleum products were hiked by P1 a liter. On June 29, big and small oil companies reduced gasoline prices by P0.25 a liter but jacked up prices of diesel and kerosene by P0.50 a liter.

Oil firms have imposed back-to-back rollbacks the past couple of weeks, which saw pump prices drop by over P2 a liter.

Fuel prices were reduced by P1.50 a liter last July 12. Seven days earlier, oil companies slashed P0.50 a liter off gasoline and another P0.75 a liter off diesel and kerosene.