Crackdown on illegal gas traders vowed

LAOAG CITY—A Department of Energy official has promised a crackdown on traders who are involved in unauthorized and unsafe selling of gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the provinces.

“They may have been allowed to do their illegal trade in the past. But we will go after them in the coming days,” said DOE Director Zenaida Monsada.

“Selling gasoline in soft drink bottles is prohibited. Bottled gasoline is a fire hazard. Once bottles are knocked down, you are courting fire in your establishment,” she said.

She said selling of bottled gasoline remains rampant in towns that do not have gasoline stations.

“It may be convenient for motorists to buy bottled gasoline than go to a neighboring town which could be kilometers away but lives and property are at risk because of this illegal practice,” she said.

Authorized LPG dealers also alerted DOE about the presence of establishments which are refilling LPG tanks without the required clearance and government permits.

Monsada assured legitimate dealers that those engaged in illegal trading practices would be penalized.

“We do not have the sufficient manpower to go after all these illegal traders now but we will deal with them in the coming days,” she said.

Monsada said they would need the support of local governments in checking illegal LPG and gasoline traders, including ensuring compliance by gasoline stations of price rollbacks.

She said local officials should help curb the practice of gasoline station owners in delaying the implementation of price reduction.

She said the DOE was aware of the practice of gas station owners in the provinces in delaying the adoption of price rollbacks but were quick to implement price increases.

“In Metro Manila, even if gas stations are selling an old gasoline inventory, price rollback is immediately adopted the moment an advisory is issued,” she said. Cristina Arzadon, Inquirer Northern Luzon