Petron Corp. expressed support to the passage of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bill pending in Congress to stomp out illegal practices like refilling that endanger lives and undermine rights of consumers.
“Similar to fuel smuggling, illegal refilling is also a threat to the industry and to the safety and welfare of consumers. It’s about time tighter regulations and stronger penalties are put in place against these unlawful and unsafe practices,” said Ramon Ang, Petron president and chief executive officer.
Petron in a statement said cylinders are often replicated or illegally refilled.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigat ion and Detention Group in June raided a plant in Cavite and seized illegally refilled Petron Gasul cylinders valued at P4.6 million.
The same plant was raided by the National Bureau of Investigation in 2013.
“Sadly, there are many fake cylinders out in the market. These are dangerous and (are) of substandard quality and most of the time are underfilled. Especially now, many households rely on LPG to cook meals so it’s important that they choose only safe and authentic LPG products. Passing the bill will benefit both us players and the consumers for raising the standards on safety, security, and quality in the LPG sector,” Ang said.
He said Petron cylinders are manufactured according to stringent safety standards set by the Department of Trade and Industry on wall thickness, weld integrity and valve fitting.
The cylinders also pass through thorough testing and inspection before they are refilled and distributed to customers with a laser-printed quality seal and unique QR-codes.
The LPG bill will cover the entire value chain from bulk suppliers, refillers, brand owners, marketers, dealers and retailers.
The proposed law will grant the Department of Energy with additional powers for a more effective regulation, supervision and monitoring of the LPG industry.
Violators can be slapped with fines ranging from P5,000 to P10 million.
