ILOILO CITY – The Department of Energy – Visayas Field Office (DOE-VFO), in partnership with the Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan (ISP), Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) intensifies the government’s crackdown on illegal traders’ activities on petroleum products. These include the illegal retailing and refilling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) into unregistered and/or non-compliant containers.
Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi stressed, “The Department is closely working with LGUs and other law enforcement agencies to strengthen the DOE’s campaign against unsafe practices. The safety of our people would always remain paramount, especially given the danger to human life posed by the illegal sale of petroleum products.”
Recently, the IPPO and BFP arrested two individuals at a checkpoint in Guimbal for transporting a total of 1, 055 single-use canisters, illegally refilled with LPG and without the necessary Conveyance Certificate from the BFP. The DOE-VFO advised the Philippine National Police (PNP) to file criminal cases against the suspects for violating Batas Pambansa 33, otherwise known as “An Act Defining And Penalizing Certain Prohibiting Acts Inimical To The Public Interest And National Security Involving Petroleum And/Or Petroleum Products, Prescribing Penalties Therefor And For Other Purposes”.
The DOE maintains that tin canisters previously filled butane are for “single use purposes” only, and are not intended for refilling of the high-pressured LPG. In a move to provide consumers with additional options and help counter the proliferation of illegally-refilled LPG canisters, the DOE-Oil Industry Management Bureau issued Standards Compliance Certificates to three LPG brands carrying less than one-kilogram cylinders, which adhere to international quality and safety standards.
DOE-VFO Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Director Jose Rey Maleza also attended the 30 October ISP public hearing for the drafting of the Provincial Ordinance that would regulate the illegal trading of petroleum products in the province. During said hearing, Director Maleza had the opportunity to brief the ISP members on the downstream oil industry rules and regulations, specifically on the Revised Retail Rules for Liquid Fuels. He likewise appealed for increased collaboration with local government units and other enforcement agencies in the province to the address the challenges at hand.
The event was also attended by representatives from the PNP, BFP, and the Department of Trade and Industry. All the attendees agreed on the need for the passage of the provincial ordinance.
“The DOE welcomes the collaborative effort and commitment of our government agencies to ensure the protection of our consumers,” Secretary Cusi concluded.
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