MANILA, Philippines – A price freeze for kerosene and household liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is in effect from March 10 to 24, said the Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday, March 11.

This comes as President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency last Monday, March 9, due to rising cases of the novel coronavirus in the country.

“As mandated by [Republic Act No.] 10623 or the amended Price Act, a price freeze is automatically imposed on kerosene and household LPG (11-kilogram tank and below) for 15 days,” the DOE said.

When the government implements a price freeze, prices cannot go up and only rollbacks can be implemented within the period.

As of March 6, the common price of LPG in Metro Manila is around P700 to P725 per tank.

Meanwhile, kerosene is at P40 to P50 per liter as of March 5, depending on the city.

The Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 16 more cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the Philippines to 49. – Rappler.com