DOE to file criminal charges against 3 LPG traders

To further curb malpractices in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced yesterday  that it will file criminal charges against three erring LPG traders.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, who also heads the Presidential Task Force on the Security of Energy Facilities and Enforcement of Energy Laws and Standards, said the three committed various violations of LPG trading rules.

Reyes identified the three LPG traders as Northern Gas Corp., Pinnacle Gas Corp. and Capitol Allied Trading and Transport, all operating in Quezon City .

The DOE decided to file charges after it conducted a series of raids last week on these establishments.

According to the DOE, the three were among the list of top violators of LPG industry laws.

The task force was able to confiscate a total of 272 11-kilogram cylinders and seven, 5-kg cylinders and these were hauled to a depository of the LPG Industry Association (LPGIA) in Taguig City .

“A criminal case will be filed against all the establishments and their owners. The Presidential Task Force on the Security of Energy Facilities and Enforcement of Energy Laws and Standards is serious in eliminating illegal practices in the LPG industry,” newly-appointed Energy Undersecretary Roy V. Kyamko, the con-current executive director of the task force, said.

Kyamko said the violations committed by the three establishments include underfilling, substandard quality of cylinders, unmarked cylinders, no tare weight markings, no safety seals, no fire safety inspection certificate, no storage permit, no conveyance permit and no installation permit.

“The operations were successfully carried out with the support and cooperation of all involved especially the DOE, LPG Industry Association, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and elements of the task force,” the DOE official said.

Kyamko said legitimate LPG industry players have been complaining of the illegal practices of other LPG players, saying they pose a serious threat to the community.