Public urged to boycott illegally-refilled LPG tanks

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently called on the public to boycott illegally-refilled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to avoid exposing households and communities to the risk of fires caused by the explosion of these unsafe wares.

The NBI issued the call at the start of the March celebration of Fire Prevention Month.

The NBI is spearheading a nationwide government crackdown against illegal LPGs following mounting public concern over the danger they cause. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said over 500 fires have been traced to the explosion of illegally-refilled LPG cylinders.

Records from the Fire Safety Enforcement Division of the Department of Interior and Local Government showed that over 50 fires were caused by the explosion of illegally-refilled LPG tanks last year.

Just recently, more than 1,000 families in Malabon were rendered homeless in the three-hour fire traced to the explosion of an illegally-refilled LPG tank. Some 700 homes were razed in the incident.

The incidence of illegal-LPG cylinder-related accidents rose following the proliferation of the illegal refilling business, the NBI noted.

The NBI asked consumers to buy LPG only from authorized outlets, noting that LPG cylinders sold by unauthorized sellers do not have the safety features required by law, such as the standard safety seal.

The NBI also informed the public that illegally-refilled tanks are usually rusty and dilapidated since illegal refillers "hardly bother to repair them."

Several suspected illegal LPG refillers are now facing complaints before the Department of Justice.

Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez Jr. reiterated an earlier call to the LPG Refillers Association of the Philippines (LPGRA) to cleanse its ranks of members who may possibly be involved in the unauthorized refilling and selling of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Perez said NBI reports showed that most LPG cylinders used in the illegal refilling trade are damaged and lack the necessary safety features found only in the authorized products. He also warned that illegally-refilled LPGs tend to be underweight by as much as 35 percent.

He also told the LPGRA that the government is pushing for the swift passage of a bill establishing higher quality standards for LPG products and stricter law enforcement against illegal refilling. The bill puts into one code the various LPG-related measures and is designed "to make the LPG industry participants accountable and responsible for their products."

The bill requires LPG industry players to secure safety clearances and accreditation. The requirements, he said, will "weed out backyard refillers and pave the way for the adoption in international best business practices in the industry developed by the World Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association."