LPG-filled butane canisters seized

CEBU, Philippines - Around 600 pieces of butane canisters refilled with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and 105 pieces of empty butane canisters were seized Friday by the police in a store in Sitio Lower Lipata, Barangay Linao, Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.

The police also arrested the store owner, 58-year-old Eduardo Antiligando, who has been reportedly selling butane in the area.

In a surprise inspection late Friday afternoon, the police found Antiligando selling butane canisters after a concerned citizen tipped them off about the illegal trade.

Superintendent Dexter Calacar, chief of Minglanilla Police Station, said charges will be filed against Antiligando for violating Provincial Ordinance 2016-15.

The ordinance prohibits the refilling, distribution, and retailing of LPG in canisters.

Antiligando admitted to Calacar that he has been selling LPG-filled butane canisters for two years now.

The canisters are currently under the custody of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

Calacar said they are intensifying efforts to monitor and eliminate the illegal trading of butane canisters in the town.  He urged the public to stop using refilled butane canisters to avoid incidents like fire.

The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier advised the public to refrain from using “refilled” butane canisters owing to risks that they might explode.

DOE-7 Director Antonio Labios earlier said butane and LPG don’t have the same characteristics when it comes to storage.

Labios said canisters used to contain butane are not suited for gas pressures expected for LPG.

But Labios lamented that LPG-filled butane canisters are becoming popular for their convenience and low cost.

A butane cylinder is only good for one use but some unscrupulous businessmen have opted to fill it with LPG and recycle the cylinders many times, he said. —/KBQ (FREEMAN)