Affordable fuels and hotel-like toilets make it a favorite for travelers
LIVING in this part of the world has its advantages, relatively cleaner air, lesser traffic congestion and a relatively easier “circle of life.” That is all compared to the urban jungle that is Manila.
One thing that does not come to this corner of the world are cheap fuel and clean toilets. That is until Cleanfuel came along.
Cleanfuel, is the Philippines’ fastest-growing independent fuel company. I personally did realize it until one day, driving to fetch my folks in Dolores, Quezon I spot a new one in San Pablo, Maharlika Highway just 4 kilometers from the border of Tiaong. Cleanfuel was my dad’s favorite gas station already, having discovered the excellent fuel quality and relatively cheap prices. He’d say, that his Petron gas coupon could fill up the car, but gassing up at Cleanfuel makes it happy.
I didn’t get what he meant until I had filled up at the San Pablo station on the afternoon I was to fetch them. Not only were the prices P3 to P5 lower (depending on the fuel type) but they didn’t scrimp of the gung-ho toilets, not even the highway fill-up stations along STAR tollway could match. (Shell Alabang and Petron SLEX used to be top of my list, but not anymore.) Cleanfuel stations are yet to develop retail vendor stores like Treats, or Star Shop but they are already at it in many stations in the North and in Metro Manila. Once that is completed in my part of the woods, Cleanfuel stations will go from “gasolinahan” to “tambayan” especially as the lockdowns have become super granular (there are still small instances) and the public is eager to go out of their houses.
Now here is the story about the toilets. One could go to the friendly station people to ask them to get a code (yes that high-tech) to get to the toilet but my dad had Cleanfuel cards, which when tapped would open the restrooms. To say fancy is an understatement. One could do his thing in peace here with air-conditioning, bidets, and strong running water. The staff will on schedule clean up the toilet regularly.
Cleanfuel stations everywhere run 7 days and 24-hours. And it’s not to say that it is new that is why everything is working fine. The Cleanfuel station in Calamba,Laguna one of the earliest ones in the province is still spanking brand new. And that is a management direction. I was told that the president of Cleanfuel, Atty. Bong Suntay, whose other business interests include auto-LPG installation and distribution as well as transportation services is keen on providing high value returns to customers, even if the cost of running a station is very high. There are few franchises Cleanfuel stations. Almost all are owned by the company itself.
On the early morning of October 3, a day before my sister’s birthday, I drove to Alabang via the STAR tollway to pick up some things needed for a vegetarian cook out and had to pass by the hateful Biñan-Sta. Rosa-Calamba-Los Baños-Bay route going back because I had to drop off and secretly pick up gifts from my sisters friends. It was already 2021 and coming into the midst of vaccinations and at the wind down of the pandemic but very few of them wanted to make the trip to San Pablo and settled for a Zoom party afterwards. But on that route I took note of stations in Biñan, Sta Rosa, Calamba then the freshly opened one in Los Baños (where I won a key chain when I filled up). Add to that the one in San Pablo and there is a zip line of Cleanfuel stations for each pee break that can possibly happen.
I heard a second one will open in San Pablo city proper to augment the one along Maharlika highway and another in Calauan, Laguna (a new one is also coming soon in Pila, Laguna–editor). Outside of my hometown there is one in Tiaong (by the Dolores highway), one in Candelaria and the latest one, just opened last December 4, 2021, in Sariaya, Quezon.
“We do feel blessed that for the past years, and also these past months, business has been going smoothly. While we have faced certain challenges like every business in these trying times, we have managed to survive better than the rest.” Atty. Suntay said in a press statement at the opening of Cleanfuel’s Sariaya branch.
One thing my dad feels highly charged about is the almost immediate innovation using GCash and Paymaya–and adopted it quickly into their point-of-sales systems. This not only made it convenient but also very safe, healthwise.
