Tomas calls for monitoring of LPG dispensing stations

With the proposed ordinance to regulate the business of liquefied petroleum gas in the offing, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said existing operators of LPG dispensing stations should not be barred from continuing to do business.

Osmeña said if the concern of the City Councilor is the threat on safety - especially by those operators with garage-based operations - the best thing to do is to monitor these LPG dispensing stations and shut them down if necessary.

But Osmeña said the council should not be too hard on the operators of LPG dispensing stations, especially now that fuel prices are surging.

“We should not be paranoid…let it operate and let’s inspect it. If it’s risky, let’s shut it down,” the mayor said.

The council is now awaiting the position papers from different stakeholders and the Department of Energy, especially now that the DOE has already laid down the rules and regulations that govern the business of supplying, hauling, storage, handling, marketing and distribution of LPG for automotive use.

Some dealers of liquefied petroleum gas and a group of taxi operators in the city believe that the proposed ordinance seem to duplicate the rules and regulations promulgated by DOE through Department Circular OC2007-02-0002.

Councilors Augustus Pe, Nestor Archival and Sylvan Jakosalem proposed the ordinance on the premise that LPG dispensing stations that cater to motor vehicles have proliferated in the city.

Because of this, there is an urgent need to regulate the business of LPG “to ensure the safety of their operations and to avoid unwanted accidents that may lead to the destruction of lives and properties.”

The Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association also opposed Section 3 of the proposed ordinance, which mandates that “the operation of the proposed Auto-Gas LPG Dispensing Station shall be located in a medium/high intensity commercial (C-2) district zoning classification.”

The group’s lawyer, Floilan Quijano Jr., had said this provision is burdensome to the taxi operators that operate in their garage because transferring to a medium/high intensity commercial district would be an added burden to the taxi operators.

Quijano said requiring garage-based operation to be in a medium/high intensity commercial district would entail additional expense and disrupt the taxi operations that would result to loss of income.

He further said the provision is in conflict with the DOE circular because the latter exempts garage-based operation from the governing rules and regulations.

Section 7 of the circular states: “Auto-LPG garage-based operation shall not be covered by this Auto-LPG Rules only upon issuance of a Certificate of Non-Coverage by the DOE-OIMB.”

It also refers to garage-based operation as the operation of a motor vehicle fleet with at least 30 vehicle units, parked and serviced in a confined area or garage.

Quijano said while not all taxi operators are members of MCTOA, the group encompasses 60 percent of all taxis operating in Cebu City. — Joeberth M. Ocao/LPM