Oil's well if it ends in cheaper fuel prices. The Philippines wants to increase oil imports from Russia, and Asean neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia so it can keep inflation down. "We have been importing oil from alternative sources like Indonesia, Malaysia and Russia and are considering importing more from them," Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye said yesterday. Bunye said the Philippines has had initial importations from Russia. "We hope to increase this," he said, without specifying how much more needs to be imported or how much it has imported. The Middle East, the Philippines' traditional source of oil, has been affected by violence and the ongoing Iraq conflict, explained Bunye. The government is trying to keep a lid on prices as the inflation rate hit a two-year high last Friday. Bunye also scored some sectors for "overreacting" to the latest round of oil price hikes, and dismissed calls to bring the oil industry under regulation once again. "The reason for oil price hikes is the hike in world prices," he said. "The Energy department believes oil prices could have been higher if we did not deregulate the oil industry. Without deregulation, it could have been worse." Prices up Bunye's remarks came as Caltex Phils. joined six other oil players in increasing pump prices yesterday for the seventh time this year. Industry sources said further price hikes loom in the next few months even if the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to increase output. Prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene are up by 90 centavos per liter effective 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Eastern Petroleum Corp., Total, Unioil, Seaoil and Shell adjusted their prices Friday evening. Only Flying V increased prices by P1.05 per liter. Petron Corp. has not adjusted prices although it is expected to do so in a couple of days. Another round is expected in the coming weeks because of soaring prices in the global market. US oil prices held to $38.83 per barrel on Friday from an all-time high of $42.45 per barrel. EPC president Fernando Martinez said the small players need to recover P1.62 per liter of gasoline and P1.36 per liter of diesel. Total Phils. corporate affairs manager Rona Quejada agreed that the increase was inevitable. "Tension in the Middle East and increasing demand for petroleum products by fast-developing countries like China have pushed oil prices to heights that have not been seen in the last decade," Quejada said. The latest increase is lower than Consumer and Oil Price Watch chairman Raul Concepcion's forecast of P1.80 per liter for gasoline and higher than the 60 centavos per liter for diesel. The price of liquefied petroleum gas is likely to increase by P1 to P1.50/kg this month. Govt cars Meanwhile, if government vehicles are marked "for official use only," why do some government officials insist on using them "for official use also"? Energy Undersecretary Manuel de Dios lamented that despite recent oil price hikes, some officials continue to use government vehicles for purposes other than work. Joel Locsin, Alena Mae Flores