Local liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) firm Solane urged government to enforce the LPG Law to further deter illegal industry practices.
Solane said in the first quarter of the year, it seized over P400,000 worth of illegal LPG tanks along with marked money, transaction receipts and fake plastic seals, among others, in 11 raids.
For the period, the company said it confiscated 146 counterfeit and illegal LPG tanks during raids in several areas in Metro Manila, Camarines Norte, Cagayan, Sorsogon and Quirino.
The arrested persons and confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of each local government unit for documentation and proper disposition prior to the filing of appropriate cases in court, it added.
In the last year alone, a total of 1,486 tanks were confiscated amounting to over P4 million, the company said.
“Solane seeks to reinforce the LPG Law, which calls for action against illegal sources of LPGs. Complementing the government’s action for LPG consumer safety, Solane’s raid operations serve as immediate action against the sale of illegal LPG products by putting perpetrators behind bars and confiscating dilapidated and fake LPG tanks to prevent them from reaching unsuspecting households,” the company said in a statement.
Last month, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called on the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to issue the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the LPG Law, which was signed by President Duterte last October.
Gatchalian, the principal author and sponsor of the law, said the DOE together with the DTI and in consultation with concerned government agencies and stakeholders, including consumer groups, should promulgate the IRR within 60 days from its effectivity. – Jed Macapagal
