PEOPLE started calling it the Tuesday routine. For three weeks straight, fuel prices climbed to reflect world oil rates. But not this week.
Price adjustments are usually announced on a Monday with the changes to take effect at midnight or 6:01 a.m. of the next day, Tuesday.
But today, Tuesday, June 5, is a different matter. No announcement was made Monday. It was made last Sunday to let the public know of the rollback in the prices of gasoline that day. In a way, it broke the curse on Tuesdays.
The Tuesday adjustment in fuel prices has become a routine for vehicle owners or operators because of the weekly movement in costs. Last Sunday, the decrease was by P1.20 - P1.40 per liter for gasoline and P0.90 - P1.00 per liter for diesel. Before that, fuel prices increased for three Tuesdays -- last May 15, 22, and 29.
The price adjustments have become a reality for Filipino consumers and this year, or from January 2, 2018, the movement continued to take effect routinely on a Tuesday. These adjustments have mostly been increases of from P0.20 per liter, which is the lowest, to P1.60, the highest.
The weekly price changes have led commuters to share information on where to get the cheaper fuel. Community monitors on gasoline and diesel have become popular on social media.
The Philippine Gas Price Watch on Facebook has been a resource for price adjustments as it religiously posts the weekly movement on its social media account. It said price movements are made historically on Tuesdays but the latest one took effect last Sunday, the day it was announced. It asked the public to follow its page to get weekly price updates and invited them to share the information with others.
Another Facebook account, the Cebu Road Heroes group, asked the public to take photos and provide information on where they found the cheaper gasoline or diesel. Such information will be useful for vehicle owners always watching out for lower prices.
The Sumbongero group on Facebook managed by the SunStar website (www.sunstar.com.ph) welcomes posts on fuel prices. When you gas up, take a photo or write down the fuel prices and note the date, time, gasoline station name and location. Post to www.facebook.com/groups/sumbongero.
There were suggestions to give the public more time to gas up if a price increase were to be announced. Instead of announcing on a Monday an increase to take effect at midnight or early morning Tuesday, why not give the public a day or two notice? Many consumers have resigned themselves to the futility of questioning the increases as rates are dictated by movements in oil prices abroad, and there is the implementation of the new tax law.
But why not announce two days earlier so people could make decisions? Why not announce the projected price change on a payday so they could really make decisions?
It won’t cushion the impact of the fuel price increase but it will give commuters time to act.