Cops raid Cebu butane refilling plant, arrest owner, seize P7M in canisters

Some of the illegal butane canisters seized from a refilling plant at the upland village of Kalunasan, Cebu City on Jan. 6. DALE ISRAEL

CEBU CITY – At least P7 million worth of illegal butane canisters were seized from a refilling plant at the upland village of Kalunasan, Cebu City on Tuesday (Jan. 6).

According to lawyer Mark Gamallo, legal officer of the Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office, the refilling plant is the biggest facility in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The refilling plant produces 5,000 to 10,000 recycled butane canisters that are filled with LPG to be used as a cheap source for cooking in households.

The government deemed it illegal to refill the butane canisters with LPG because of the hazards. Often, fires around Metro Cebu are caused by the explosion of butane canisters.

The police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Management Group in Central Visayas (CIDG) arrested 10 people at the plant including its identified owner, John Justice Monares, son of a village official in Kalunasan.

Maj. Ronald Allan Tolosa, CIDG regional deputy director, said the operation stemmed from a tip from a concerned citizen.

The area was subjected to several weeks of surveillance.

Those arrested will be charged with violation of Presidential Decree 1865 or the LPG Industry Rules of the DOE.

Aside from the filled up and empty butane canisters worth P7 million, authorities also confiscated 11 LPG refilling machines worth at least P200,000 each. Six vehicles were also seized.

Edited by TSB