LIQUEFIED petroleum gas (LPG) being sold by small dealers and retailers are still within the price ceiling set by the Department of Energy (DOE).

Arnel Ty, president of LPG Marketers Association (LPGMA), issued the statement after the DOE-Department of Justice (DOJ) Joint Task Force said LPG retailers have illegally increased their prices with the imposition of Executive Order 839, which put a cap on the prices of petroleum products.

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LPGMA members reportedly increased the prices of their LPG cooking gas by as much as P4 per kilogram for an 11-kilogram (kg) cylinder LPG tank.

According to Ty, the price adjustment they imposed is basically in accordance with the price hike implemented by their supplier last November 1.

Ty said that despite the price hike, LPG prices are still within the P520 to P570 price range set by the DOE.

Ty further said its "unfair" that the government have trained its eyes on the small dealers who are just bearing the burden caused by the giant oil companies.

He also dared the government to show more strictness on the large oil firms and not only the small dealers and retailers like them.

Monitoring conducted by the DOE showed that LPG prices in the international market was pegged at US$589 per metric ton for the month of October.

LPG cooking gas is being sold at an average of P543 to P612 as of October 27, 2009. (MSN/Sunnex)