Seaoil also offers fuel discounts
By Donnabelle Gatdula
The Philippine Star 11/26/2004

Following the major oil companies, new oil player Seaoil Philippines Inc. announced yesterday that it would give members of its "Loyal Biyahero" discount club a 50-centavo per liter discount on diesel, a 10-centavo per liter discount on gasoline and a five-percent discount on lubricants.

Major industry players Petron Corp., Caltex Philippines Inc. and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. offered discounts Wednesday to public utility vehicles at "selected" stations come December.

Seaoil, controlled and managed by the Yu family, said it would start giving the discounts earlier than its competitors.

It said the discounts for diesel would begin 6 a.m. yesterday, or six days earlier than its competitors, while discounts for gasoline and lubricants are already available.

While Petron and Shell will be offering discounts in "selected" stations, all 27 Seaoil stations in Metro Manila will be providing discounts.

Seaoil president Glenn Yu also said both public and private customers of the oil firm will benefit from these discounts.

"Private motorists and public utilities can become members and enjoy immediate discounts. Unlike our refining competitors, who only offer discounts to public utilities, cost-conscious private motorists will also be able to save on fuel with Seaoil’s Loyal Biyahero program," he said.

Yu said the membership to the Loyal Biyahero discount club is free. Potential members simply fill up an application form and gas up at specially designated "members only" pumps.

In addition to the discount, Seaoil is also offering diesel motorists an opportunity to save up to five percent on fuel expenses by using Seaoil’s recently launched BIO Exceed diesel additive.

The additive has superior cetane number and improves combustion efficiency with the presence of oxygenates. Oxygen is essential for efficient burning and BIO Exceed contains 11 percent oxygen.

The additive is derived from coconut oil and is consistent with the government’s program of reducing the country’s dependency on imported oil. By adding one percent to diesel, customers can save an equivalent of up to another P1 per liter on fuel. For public utility vehicles that consume 50 liters per day, the savings can be as much as P1,500 per month.

President Arroyo recently signed Memorandum Circular 55 requiring all government-owned vehicles to use a percent blend of the coconut oil derived additive. Seaoil aims to bring the benefits of using the BIO Exceed additive to the riding public.

"We want the public to know that despite the rising oil prices, Seaoil is offering the Filipino consumer an alternative." Yu said.

Meanwhile, Caltex officials said they "remain sensitive to the concerns of our customers, particularly the transport sector. Although the costs of refined products continue to soar, we want to be able to help this sector cope with rising fuel prices in the local market. By extending the discounts, we hope to somewhat ease the burden on the transport sector and the commuting public."

"It is the market, however, that will ultimately determine the price of petroleum products," they said.

Other factors affecting fuel prices include demand, foreign exchange, competition and conditions in the market place, among other things.

Caltex said it is committed to remain open and transparent regarding price adjustments and will stay closely attuned to market conditions to ensure that its products are priced competitively and independently.

Petron, partly owned by the government, was first to announce the diesel discount, saying this is part of the company’s commitment to provide assistance to the oil-consuming public, particularly public transport groups, during times of crisis.

Shell, on the other hand, said the move to provide discounts is "not gambling but a call. We want to be sensitive to the needs of the public."

San ba may SeaOil malapit sa Ortigas center?