And no thanks to the Big, Bad Three oil players.

While motorists and commuters endure high fuel pump prices,  households and food entrepreneurs can heave a sigh of relief as independent refillers and dealers grouped under the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers’ Association declared a P1.00 per kilogram rollback in prices of the cooking fuel.

“LPG/MA is pleased to announce that effective tomorrow, September 2, LPG prices will be slashed by P1.00 per kilo, or P11 per 11-kilogram cylinder,” said Rep. Arnel Ty, who represents the sectoral party in Congress.

LPG/MA’s suggested retail price would be down from P651 to P640 per 11-kilogram cylinder, Ty said.

It should be worth noting that at this price, the group’s SRP is still substantially lower than the cost of LPG being sold by big players Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Petron Corp. under the brand names Shellane and Gasul.

A survey of Shell and Petron gasoline service stations in Quezon City on Thursday indicated that 11-kilogram cylinders of Shellane and Gasul were being sold for P744 and P724 respectively.

Why can the smaller players – which have relatively lower profit margins considering their limited resources and operations -- make such generous price cuts while the industry giants – which have decidedly fatter profits – can’t?

This doesn’t make sense to us at all.

We believe a thorough investigation by appropriate agencies is in order here to enlighten consumers and the general public about the pricing dynamics of the LPG industry. 

Meanwhile, Ty has sought the help of his colleagues in ensuring the swift passage of House Bill 3976, which seeks to establish a one-time exchange program for the benefit of consumers possessing dilapidated LPG cylinders -- clearly a another victory for  public safety. 

“We are determined to remove from the open market and replace all defective and substandard cylinders. This will lessen possible accidental fires that may be caused by unsafe cylinders,” said Ty, a member of the House energy committee.

Ty said he was  hopeful that the LPG Cylinder Exchange, Swapping and Rehabilitation Program, to be set up by the Department of Energy, would promote the safe consumption of the cooking fuel.

“The cylinder exchange scheme is just one of the features of the bill, which basically sets the minimum fair standards of business conduct for all LPG industry participants, from importers and refiners down to neighborhood dealers,” he said.

The solon filed the bill with the following co-authors: Representatives Winston Castelo, Randolph Ting, Dakila Cua, Lord Allan Jay Velasco, Sherwin Tunga, Raymond Mendoza, Rodante Marcoleta, Pastor Alcover Jr., Sharon Garin, Ponciano Payuyo, Mark Sambar, Eulogio Magsaysay, Catalina Leonen-Pizzaro, Salvador Cabaluna III, Michael Angelo Rivera, Rodel Batocabe, Christopher Co, and Alfredo Garbin Jr.                                           

Thailand’s national government spent only the equivalent of roughly P600 million for a highly successful exchange program that eliminated some 1.2 million potentially faulty and hazardous cylinders, according to Ty.

The bill calls for  adequate strategies to ensure that every LPG cylinder that comes out of a filling or refilling plant goes through rigorous safety or re-qualifying tests. Cylinders damaged from normal wear and tear would be immediately detected, repaired and re-qualified, or scrapped, as the case may be.

The bill also seeks to protect LPG consumers as well as legitimate industry participants against fraudulent refillers and traders, hoarders, and illegal importers of second-hand and possibly harmful cylinders.