The Department of Energy has warned the public regarding the issues, dangers, and liabilities of selling and buying of petroleum products in bottles of soft drinks or in any portable containers, or the so called, “bote-bote.”
In a recently held Strategic Briefing on PD 1865 and other related laws at Ati-atihan Country Inn here, Engineer Rey Maleza of the DOE-Visayas Field Office, reiterated that retailing of liquid petroleum products shall only be carried out through fixed and permanent dispensing pumps and not from above-ground tanks, tank vehicles, drums, barrels, or the similar containers, as stipulated in the Department Circular No. 2003-11-010.
“With the said provision, DOE strictly prohibited the bote-bote selling of the petroleum products,” he pointed.
“Liquid fuels are highly combustible, therefore requires proper handling, storage and display; which the bote-bote system is not offering, hence safety is uncertain,” Maleza said.
In the bote-bote selling, owners do not apply for permits and licenses especially the safety permit from the Bureau of Fire Protection; and therefore promotes illegal trading, he added.
“It is unfair to those legal retailers who bear the lines and paying the different fees for their gasoline stations,” said Maleza adding that illegal retailers deprive legitimate retail outlets of additional sales volume.
According to DOE, quality and quantity of the petroleum products in the bote-bote scheme are also compromised.
“In bote-bote, the source of the liquid fuels are unknown to the public, putting at stake the quality; and unlike to the legitimate gasoline stations wherein dispensing pumps are regularly calibrated, the bote-bote merely depends on the size of the containers, hence quantity is uncertain,”Engineer Maleza explained.
Meanwhile, Atty. Russ Mark Gamallo, from DOE-VFO has warned illegal peddlers of the petroleum products of their fines and penalties, administratively and criminally.
“The DOE does not issue any certificate to bote-bote retailers of petroleum, thus, these bote-bote peddlers are illegal and will be fined by the department of P10,000 per prohibited act and confiscation of the products,”Atty. Gamallo said.
“Under Presidential Decree 1865, a criminal case can be filed to the bote-bote retailers; which can be penalized of not less than P20,000 but not more than P50,000 and/or imprisonment of at least two years to five years,” Gamallo warned.
Atty. Gamallo also clarified that administrative and criminal case under DC No. 2003-11-010 and PD 1865, respectively could be filed to the bote-bote retailers and other illegal traders simultaneously.
by: Sheila Q. Patoza
No comments:
Post a Comment