“We are helpless against the steady increase in fuel prices, and it is putting a strain on the costs of our products,” Lopez said.
He said the cost of regular gasoline has increased from $3.959 a gallon in January to $5.05 on Monday.
The price for diesel has gone up by 38 percent or $1.57, from $4.169 per gallon in January to $5.68 in June.
Lopez said the average selling prices at hotels for LPG increased by 3 percent from January to June this year.
He added that the price of 90-pound LPG cylinder sold to restaurants increased from $110 in January to $118 in June.
For residential homes, Lopez said, there was an 8 percent increase in the price of LPG tanks.
Prices of LPG cylinders restaurants and residential homes remained static from January to March — $110 and $113.
For restaurants, the price for each 90-lb. cylinder went up to $113 in April and May.
The LPG cylinder prices went up to $116 in April, wend down to $113 in May but reached $123 in June.
“Prices for the LPG cylinders in residential homes are a little bit higher than the prices for the restaurants because houses take a longer time to consume their cylinders,” Lopez said.
The restaurants, he added, refill their cylinders faster, therefore they order more in volume which cost less.
“A price increase can’t really be avoided because we have to pay for shipping, freight, handling and other costs,” Lopez said.
