1 Dead, 1 Injured as Truck Loaded with Gasoline Catches Fire

 File this under, "I told you so."

https://mb.com.ph/2021/10/12/1-dead-1-injured-as-truck-loaded-with-gasoline-catches-fire-in-negros-city/

A man died while another was injured after their canter truck loaded with 100 containers of gasoline caught fire near Umapog Bridge in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

The Cadiz City Fire Station identified the fatality as a certain “Romnick.”

Wounded was truck driver John Vincent Recto, 25, of Escalante City.

Based on the investigation of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the alleged speeding truck fell on its side and hit a barrier while it was approaching the curve part of the road.

The victims were able to get out of the vehicle, but unfortunately, Romnick failed to go farther from the burning vehicle.

Romnick was burned, while Recto suffered third degree burns and was taken to a hospital.

The BFP initially pegged the damage at P370,000.

A speeding truck transporting 100 containers of gasoline fell on its side and hit a barrier causing the truck to go up in flames. With each of those containers holding about 20 liters of gasoline each that is 2,000 liters of gasoline engulfing one small truck and the driver's helper. It probably looked just like this:

Now, this is exactly the kind of disaster I have warned about in the articles I have written concerning the illegal gasoline trade in the Philippines.

What is to be done? This is not a victimless crime. Transporting thousands of liters of gasoline in unsafe containers is a danger to everyone. The potential for disaster is great. It does not matter if such a tragedy has not happened or ever will happen. It could happen and that is a problem that is easily preventable. 

This issue of potentiality vs actuality illustrates what is wrong with the Philippines. Actual problems start off as potential problems. But no-one seems to have the foresight or the fortitude to prevent actual problems by taking steps to reduce the potential of them occurring. It's as if everyone here says, "Screw the rules because nothing has happened yet. We will deal with it then."

https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2020/10/lawless-philippines-illegal-gas-trade.html 

Despite this preventable tragedy no one seems cares. Not the authorities and not even the authors of the several articles about this incident appear to care about what has really happened here. None of the news articles highlight the dangerous nature of the illegal gasoline trade in the Philippines. None of them cite any authorities who say they will be charging the driver with illegally transporting gasoline. There is no word about finding and sanctioning the gas stations which fuel this illegal trade. 

Granted, that silence does not mean there will not be a full investigation and that the gas stations responsible will be held accountable. That could happen but it likely won't. Instead we will have to wait until the next preventable tragedy occurs and wonder how it could have been prevented in the first place.