Quezon City cops seize 4,000 liters of stolen diesel

MANILA, Philippines – The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) raided an FX taxi terminal in Novaliches Thursday night and confiscated 4,000 liters of diesel suspected to have been illegally diverted from delivery trucks of a petroleum firm.

Police officers of the QCPD’s District Police Intelligence Operating Unit (DPIOU) also arrested Bonifacio Medina, a pump operator at REMG’s terminal, following the raid.

Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., chief of the QCPD-DPIOU, said there were three large containers and 24 gallon containers filled with diesel.

Representatives of the Citizen Credit Cooperative, which operates the terminal, denied they were illegally diverting diesel to resell it at lower prices. They went to Pedrozo’s office yesterday afternoon and said the fuel stored there was meant for use of FX taxis whose owners are members of the cooperative.

QCPD-DPIOU operatives, led by Inspector Genaro Martinez, arrested Medina after he failed to produce the necessary permits when he was caught openly selling the fuel.

The cooperative’s representatives said they do not need permits since the fuel was not being stored for commercial purposes. They said they directly sourced the fuel from Petron’s depot in Pandacan, Manila.

According to Pedrozo, Medina – who remains in police custody – could be liable under Presidential Decree 1865 for illegal trade of petroleum products. – Reinir Padua