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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – Two persons were arrested yesterday in Barangay Poblacion II, Estancia, Iloilo for selling allegedly smuggled petroleum products.
Peter Salazar, 24, of Barangay Alipata, Carles, Iloilo and Rosnel Buncad, 35, of Barangay Tinigban, Carles, Iloilo were detained at the Estancia police station.
They were arrested around 6:15 p.m. by Estancia policemen who received reports about persons selling stolen gasoline and diesel products in the northern Iloilo town.
According to Chief Inspector Johnny Tumambing, Estancia police chief, the suspects were openly selling at Leah Store in Barangay Pobalcion II, Estancia.
The police recovered from Leah Store 16 containers of diesel, a big funnel, empty bottles, seven containers of gasoline, eight containers of diesel, and P302 cash.
The suspects face a charge for violating Presidential Decree 1865 that prohibits oil pilferage.
The retail of gasoline and diesel in bottles of soft drinks is rampant in northern Iloilo, according to legitimate gas station operators. They urged the provincial government to stop the hazardous practice.
According to the gas station operators, the bottled gasoline and diesel are sold in sari-sari stores and roadsides by enterprising people.
The practice robs them of income, the operators stressed, and also puts the public at risk.
The Department of Energy (DOE) – Oil Industry Management Bureau considers the practice illegal because bottled gasoline and diesel do not pass quantity, quality and safety practice standards.
The retailers of gasoline and diesel in bottles of soft drinks may have sourced the fuel from illegitimate sources.
There have been previous cases of fuel smuggling in Iloilo’s coastal towns.
Locals called the illegal practice paihi – fuel from cargo vessels were clandestinely siphoned off and sold by unscrupulous ship crew members to contacts who would in turn retail the stolen fuel at lower prices.
According to DOE, the retail of gasoline and diesel in bottles of soft drinks also puts in danger the public because these bottles are considered fire hazards.
In far-flung areas, motorists may find it convenient to buy bottled gasoline or diesel than go to neighboring towns with legitimate gas stations, but DOE said lives and property are at risk because of the illegal practice./PN
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