Jeepney Art 22

Did you ride in a jeepney today? Have you seen some cool jeepney art today? Now you have!

Broom-Broom Cars

Can you think of a better name for a car dealership than Broom-Broom Cars?

Everyone wants a car with a strong engine that roars out Broom-Broom! Would you buy a car from a dealer named Putt-Putt Cars or Clunk-Clunk Cars. I don't think so.

This onomatopoeia car dealership gives me a a few ideas for similarly named businesses like Chop-Chop Butcher Shop, Glug-Glug water refill station, and Chomp-Chomp Burger Joint.

What this sign really reminds me of more than anything else is Speed Buggy.

With his catchphrase, "Vroom-a-zoom-zoom!" I think Speed Buggy would approve of this dealership's name.

Retards in the Government 93

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics. 

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2019/3/7/ramon-tulfo-defending-influx-of-chinese-workers-in-philippines.html

[Translator: You know why developers prefer Chinese workers? They're diligent. Pinoy workers, on the otehr hand, when they go to a job site, that's the time they will prepare their tools, whereas Chinese always come prepared. Filipino workers also always smoke and keep talking.] 

[Translator: Chinese workers really work, they don't talk.] 

[Translation: Filipino workers take time, they sweep time, they go to the comfort room, drink water, urinate.] 

[Translation: Someone even told me what takes Chinese workers eight months to finish a certain project, Filipinos, they take a year.] 

[Translation: What I know developers, foremen complain and admit that Chinese workers just do their job while Filipinos keep talking, noisy.] 

Tutay said a large portion of Chinese workers in the country are employed in the gaming industry. 

[Translation: There's an influx of Chinese workers in the online gaming sector. The number of Chinese nationals in the construction is kind of low.]

For Tulfo, the influx of Chinese nationals will benefit the country in the long run. 

"Our country has become a good place to invest in. We've opened our doors to China kaya dumami sila(that's why there's an influx)," he said. 

"We have everything to gain, ang laki laki ng (there are big) investments na dumadating (coming in)," he added.

Not only does Tulfo insult Pinoy workers but he forgets the fact that many of Chinese workers are here illegally and they are working in the online gaming business. Those wesbites are frequented mostly by rich Chinese on the mainland, owned by Chinese, and staffed by Chinese. How does the Philippines benefit from that? It doesn't!

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1093406/pdea-12-western-visayas-pols-on-narcolist

Garcia declined to name the politicians, but said none of those on the list was facing criminal complaints related to illegal drugs. 

“They are subject to monitoring as protectors of illegal drug operations. But it is difficult to prove this [in a criminal complaint] because we need witnesses who will testify and link them directly to illegal drugs,” he told the Inquirer. 

President Duterte has approved the release of the so-called narcolist on the recommendation of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. Malacañang has said the list will be out next week.

The government is going to release a list of names of men allegedly connected to the illegal drug trade but none of whom has been charged with a crime because the allegations cannot be proven. Why release the list if none of these men have been charged with a crime?

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/08/19/1-vs-8-sara-duterte-dares-otso-diretso-to-debate

Hugpong ng Pagbabago chair and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio dared on Friday the candidates of opposition slate Otso Diretso to face her in a debate.  

"Kami na lang, Inday Sara versus 8," Duterte-Carpio said.  

The daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte made the remark after the Commission on Elections rejected the opposition slate's request for an official debate for senatorial candidates running in the May 13 midterm polls.

The Comelec has denied the request of Otso Diretso to facilitate a debate between them and Hugpong ng Pagbabago citing that it would be unfair to the rest of the candidates and there is simply not enough time left in the campaign period. In response Sara Duterte has taunted them to debate her alone even though she is not a candidate. This move on her part is utterly stupid and reveals how much she is relying on name brand recognition and showmanship rather than discussing real issues. But as Bato said last week, "People don't care about the issues."

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1093668/palace-duterte-sacked-pcsos-balutan-over-alleged-serious-corruption

“The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (PRRD) has terminated the services of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan on his present post due to serious allegations of corruption,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.  

Panelo said “governance and public accountability are the twin hallmarks of the Duterte administration.”  

He added “these are the standards that those in the government must exercise at all times and with utmost responsibility and fidelity.”  

“We hope that this will serve as a stern warning to all government officials and employees that there are no sacred cows in the current administration, especially when it comes to serving the Filipino people with integrity and loyalty,” he further said.

Great. But will he actually be charged with corruption? Will he made the subject of a criminal complaint?  Likely not because actually it turns out he resigned.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094577/palace-backtracks-pcso-chief-quit-wasnt-fired

“We wish to clarify that former PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan has, indeed, tendered his resignation through a letter submitted to the Office of the President (OP),” Panelo said. 

He added: “The said written communication was, however, formally received by the OP only after the Palace has already announced his cessation (sic) from office.” 

The Palace has not yet given a clear reason for Balutan’s removal or the details of the corruption allegations against him. 

For his part, Balutan claimed that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea called him to tell him that some “powerful people” were behind the decision to remove him from the PCSO. 

On Monday afternoon, Panelo reaffirmed that Balutan “resigned out of delicadeza because of, as we have said, serious allegations of corruption in the PCSO.” 

“He has requested the President for a fair and impartial investigation to ferret out the truth on the matter. We hope this sets the record straight on the timeline of what transpired,” the presidential spokesperson said.

Clarify? They just flipped the script! They changed the whole story.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1093460/cop-lands-in-jail-for-allegedly-selling-shabu-in-manila

A policeman was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Sampaloc, Manila on Thursday night after authorities received a report that he was allegedly trying to sell “shabu” (crystal meth) in an apartment. 

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said on Friday that the operation against PO1 Ferdinand Rafael stemmed from the complaint of a concerned citizen who said that a supposed police officer was frequently visiting his room to sell illegal drugs.

This is what should happen when someone is alleged to be involved in criminal activity.

https://business.inquirer.net/266336/huge-nfa-debt-due-to-rice-price-supply-stabilization-mandate-officials-claim

The National Food Authority’s (NFA) P140-billion debt was caused by unsustainable policies of the government and not due to the agency’s inefficiency, its officials said in a statement. 

The NFA said its losses were “the cost of the government’s commitment and policy to make rice available, affordable and accessible to the poor and marginalized sectors,” and to stabilize rice supply and prices. 

Financial records from the agency showed that from the 1970s until 1998, its debt amounted to P5.7 billion. 

However, from 2001 to 2010, it swelled to P165.6 billion following the Arroyo administration’s mandate to the agency to buy palay at a high price and sell rice at a low price, in a bid to keep both producers and consumers happy.

Inefficiency it the hallmark of the Philippine government. I have already covered the inefficiency of the government when it comes to rice. You can read that here.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1093672/dfa-employee-sacked-for-badgering-reporter-with-disability

“Imagine the medyo bald chubby man telling me they need 2see doriginal of my pwd id 2prove indeed i hav disability. he asked if its polio, when i said yes, he told guard 2check me. d guard approached me so i moved my pants upward 2show my right foot is smaller than my left,” Araneta wrote on Facebook. 

Araneta fumed at the incident saying, the staffer was “stupid” for asking her to prove that she has a disability. 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. also apologized after learning of the incident, incident and said he was  at a “total loss for words.” 

“I am at a total loss for words except that I will seriously consider a proposal for chemical castration to prevent this behavior from being passed on. I am deeply sorry,” Locsin wrote on Twitter. 

Someone at the DFA wanted this reporter to prove she had a disability and was subsequently fired. DFA Secretary Teddy Boy responds on Twitter with the usual obscene remark.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094012/sara-duterte-blasts-leni-robredos-fake-courage-and-for-hiding

Vice President Leni Robredo should not hide behind her camp when responding to an argument as it showed “fake courage,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said Sunday. 

This was the statement of the presidential daughter after the Robredo camp slammed her on Saturday for saying that the Vice President had no right to speak about honesty and integrity given the issues that she was facing. 

“A reminder to Leni Robredo: Kapag umatake ka, at sinagot ka ng inatake mo to question your authority to speak on integrity and honesty, do not retreat behind a “Robredo Camp” to answer for you and the argument you started,” Duterte-Carpio said in a statement. 

The word war between Duterte-Carpio and Robredo started when the Davao Mayor said that “everybody lies” as she scoffed at opposition senatorial candidates who accuse pro-administration bets of telling lies. 

However, Robredo said that honesty was a “huge factor” in determining one’s integrity. She also said that dishonest person should not aspire for office. 

Duterte-Carpio then fired back and brought up the issues that the Vice President got involved in. 

“She is not called fake VP for no reason,” she said.

It's ridiculous how Sara Duterte has become front and centre in the 2019 election when she is not even running for office. Now there's a "word war" between her and Leni Robredo and Sara shows her true colours by accusing her of stealing the 2016 election. It's just nonsense. Sara definitely has a bright future ahead of her in national politics and that is sad.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/03/10/1900291/no-more-inday-sara-show-after-mom-scolds-her-over-word-war-opposition

Hugpong ng Pagbabago campaign manager and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said she would end her word war against members of the opposition after her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, called her out for “bullying” critics of her father’s administration. 

Duterte-Carpio, the eldest daughter of the president, made the statement after she claimed she received a phone call from her mother who is in Davao City on Sunday morning. 

“Sabi ng nanay ko alam ng lahat ng tao na anak ka ni Rodrigo pero dapat malaman din nila na anak ka ni Elizabeth. (My mother said, everyone knows I’m the daughter of Rodrigo [Duterte] but they should also know I’m a daughter of Elizabeth). Shut it down,” Duterte-Carpio was quoted by News 5. 

“At sinabi niya wag daw ako makipag-away at wag ko raw i-bully ang mga opposition sa administration ni [Presidente] Duterte (And she said I should not fight and bully those who are opposing the administration of President Duterte)," she added. 

For this, Duterte-Carpio said she is ending the word war against the opposition members. 

“Sinabi nya na I should always be kind first before anything else. So, mag-pack up na po Inday Sara show. Wala na po sya. Sarado na po (She said I should always be kind first before anything else. So the Inday Sara show is packing up. She is gone. It is now closed)," she continued.

Pretty silly how even mom has jumped into the fray telling her daughter to "shut it down" and then Sara admits it's all a show. The Inday Sara Show. But never fret there will be more seasons of this show to come.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094212/ex-village-chair-nabbed-for-drugs

A former barangay chairman was arrested, past 5 p.m. on March 8, after he was caught in a ‘pot session’ inside an abandoned house in Barangay Padian Torogan, in Madalum town, Lanao del Sur. 

Confiscated from Alawi were two sachets containing white crystalline substance suspected to be shabu, disposable lighters, and an improvised glass totter.

Another barangay chairman smoking shabu.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/03/10/1900288/duterte-claims-all-priests-are-stupid

"Is there an intelligent priest? They are all stupid. If they aren’t stupid, they wouldn’t enter priesthood," Duterte said during the distribution of land ownership certificates in Negros Occidental last Friday.  

"You are a man, but you chose to be a priest. You keep on looking at all the beautiful women that you can’t court. My God," he added. 

More nonsense from the President about priests.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/221510/comelec-yields-van-full-of-illegally-installed-streamers-after-oplan-baklas-in-mandaue-city

Reuyan, who acted as team leader, said they pulled down a van-full of streamers that were not in designated poster areas along the stretch of the national road from Barangay Jagobiao in the northern section of the city up to the vicinity of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.  

Most of which are installed in electrical posts and nailed on trees. 

The confiscated streamers were temporarily stored at the Comelec Mandaue City Office pending disposal. 

Meanwhile, candidates whose posters were taken down will be asked to explain and submit documentation that they have take down the remaining posters that are illegally installed.

There are illegal posters everywhere. It's a real ugly mess but don't count on any of the candidates being held responsible.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1796265/Cebu/Local-News/Complicated-love-life-of-Cebus-Shabu-Queen-includes-drug-lords-shady-cops-for-lovers

JOCELYN “Joy” Encila, the woman local police said is Cebu’s drug queen, had both drug lords and policemen as lovers, sometimes simultaneously, other times one after the other. 

She met some of them in the course of visiting in jail her previous years-long lover, who is the father of her 13-year-old daughter.  

She also had a member of the Philippine Coast Guard Cebu Station as a lover, with whom she has two children. 

She had two lovers who were jail-based drug lords, two policemen on active service and a Coast Guard member. 

While Encila was in a relationship with Ygot, she met a policeman who then had a rank of Staff Sergeant. 

“Staff Sergeant” was assigned to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). He, too, became her lover and was now her protector. 

Not long after this stage in her love life, she met another policeman who had a rank higher than Staff Sergeant. 

Corporal became her lover. too. 

Corporal was in the same CCPO unit Staff Sergeant was in, only that the Corporal was the boss and Staff Sergeant was his subordinate. 

But Staff Sergeant set aside hierarchy when he found out about Encila and Corporal’s relationship. The confrontation between Encila’s police lovers would have led to a bloody shootout had there been no intervention from cooler heads. 

Corporal was good friends with Jinnifer Mercader, the former barangay captain of Lugo, Borbon, Cebu with a shady past.

Bohol Policeman, on the other hand, supplies drugs to Encila’s younger sister Janelyn and her cousin who lives in Duljo-Fatima, Cebu City.

Interesting how they don't divulge the name of these PNP officers but only refer to them by rank. What's not interesting is that PNP officers are involved in the drug trade in Cebu. That's actually kind of boring and expected.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/03/12/19/bato-says-bilibid-drug-lords-control-drug-rings-outside-prison

Speaking to ANC's Headstart, Dela Rosa denied that illegal drugs are being brought in and out of the prison. 

(Illegal drugs are not flowing into the prison. You're talking about commercial value drugs that they say is coming from Bilibid? No.) 

(What is happening there is - convicted drug lords inside the prison are the ones in control. Their business outside continues but the shabu does not go inside the prison. They are the ones in control.) 

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief, said he tried to curb the drug problem by housing convicted Chinese drug traffickers in a separate building away from Filipino drug lords inside the prison to avoid communication. 

He also said he was never offered a bribe during his short stint in BuCor. Dela Rosa served as BuCor chief from May to October 2018. 

"Nobody, none. Alam nila ng kakatayin ko sila, sasakalin ko sila," he said. 

He also claimed receiving confirmation from inmates about Sen. Leila de Lima's alleged links to the drug trade.

Remember when he promised to end the drug trade within Bilibid prison? Well he failed obviously because drug dealers are still controlling their empires from behind bars. Who cares if shabu does not go into the prison when its being spread out from the prison?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094581/navy-nowhere-to-put-new-assets

While the Philippine Navy is in an acquisition spree of modern sea assets, it has admittedly overlooked the basic requirement of where to put them. 

Empedrad admitted that the Philippine Navy was currently faced with the challenge of the absence of facilities to house newly acquired sea assets and materiel, particularly missiles. 

“When we acquired these capabilities, we failed to address, to look into the attendant requirements,” he said, adding that it was a lesson for the Navy. 

The Navy has no docking facility for its bigger vessels as well as hangars for its helicopters.

Why don't they park their new ships on the island bases the Chinese were so kind enough to build in the WPS?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1095553/duterte-intervention-fails-to-break-budget-deadlock

Echoing Lacson, Sotto said that if the House leaders wanted to break the stalemate, they should respect the final version of the spending bill that Congress had ratified. 

“My point is that after we have ratified it, it was then that (the House) made the changes. I even told the President that the budget for [his infrastructure projects] was siphoned off to the congressional districts,” Sotto said. 

“To cut a long story short, it was the suggestion of Senator Lacson that gained our support. [Lacson] said that if we want to resolve all this, we have to revert to the original form [of the budget], the one that we had agreed on and ratified by the bicameral (conference) committee,” he said.

https://business.inquirer.net/266610/budget-delay-to-cut-growth-to-8-yr-low

The House and Senate agreed on the budget but then the House altered the budget again and now the legislature cannot agree on the budget which means big consequences for the economy if the impasse cannot be overcome.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/687928/palace-phl-won-t-cooperate-if-icc-conducts-probe-into-drug-war/story/

“They cannot do anything against us,” Panelo said at a news conference in Malacañang. “Bakit ka naman magko-cooperate kung walang jurisdiction? We’re not bound by their rules.”

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/687869/a-few-days-before-phl-exit-duterte-says-he-s-ready-to-face-death-sentence-from-icc/story/

Look at these two contradictory headlines and try to tell yourself Duterte is not a drama queen. If the ICC has no jurisdiction and the PH won't cooperate then Duterte will never be facing the death penalty. One a side not just think about all the work it to took to get the Philippines into the ICC and how happy many people were when that happened. Then Duterte came along, didn't want his activities investigated, and so he unilaterally withdrew from the ICC. Just goes to show that one man can ruin everything.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/225648-marawi-vice-mayor-arafat-salic-arrested-for-rebellion

Marawi City Vice Mayor Arafat Salic has been arrested by the police and military for rebellion charges, the Armed Forces of the Philippines announced on Wednesday, March 13. 

"Salic is included in the Office of the Martial Law Administrator Arrest Order dated September 4, 2017 for rebellion case," Colonel Romeo Brawner, 103rd Infantry Brigade Commander, said in a statement.

Is this the first man arrested for rebellion under martial law? This arrest order is dates 1 and half years ago. What took so long to carry it out?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1094570/in-abra-political-rivalry-heats-up

Last year, the province was included in the government’s election watch list for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. For this year’s midterm elections, 10 towns were identified as “areas of concern” by the Commission on Elections.

But Senior Insp. Grace Marron, information officer of the Abra police, said the province was no longer an area of concern for the May 13 elections.

Marron also dismissed reports of the presence of private armies, but said intelligence monitoring by the police on these groups was continuing.

Despite the exclusion of Abra from the list of election hot spots, the police have reactivated the special task force, called “Abra Shield,” to oversee peace and order in the province during the election period.

Authorities said they were still on the lookout for intense political rivalry, which was already evident during the PDP-Laban campaign rally here.

"Intense political rivalry" in the Philippines does not mean vigorous debate. It means bloodshed.

Leaning Electric Pole #598

Nothing to see here.

Just your typical leaning electric pole. What a doozy! This one is being propped up by some kind of stand. Let's take a look at the base.

 Wow. Was this pole held in place by rocks? That's not very secure.

What a mess! Take a guess how they fixed this pole. First they disconnected all the wires and tossed them up into all the other electrical wires making a comfy nest for any depressed bird who has lost the will to live.

Then they laid the pole on the ground!

Lovely, eh? But we are not done here. Not by a long shot. Notice in the picture above there is an orange stripe painted around the base. It appears someone installed a brand new wooden pole in the same spot and in the same manner! 

That foundation doesn't look all that sound to me but what do I know? Well for one I know whoever fixed this pole left all the wires in a tangle and did not bother to reconnect them to the new pole.

Byootiful! 

Illegal Petrol Traders

Along with drugs and bootleg DVDs illegal gasoline trading plays a large role in the black market economy of the Philippines. Surely you have seen the roadside gas stations selling gas from Coca-Cola bottles. That is known as bote-bote gasoline. I have written about these bootleg gas stations before as well as illegal filling of improper gas containers. What is there new to tell about this situation? Nothing really except these absolutely crazy pictures I have of pump-boys helping the black market trade in gasoline continue.

Look at this guy in broad daylight. This gas station is downtown in a busy area but the illegal petrol dealer has no shame and the pump-boy has no hesitation in filling up his four huge containers with gasoline.

Obviously those aren't approved gasoline containers and even if they were who the needs that much gasoline for their own private consumption? Nobody. Where this guy lives that he has to drive into the middle of the city to fill up his tanks, I don't know.  But this other guy told me he drove from 2 hours away to fill up all of his 50 5 gallon tanks at 4am.

Take a look at how much he has spent so far at this point in the filling up process.

22,769 pesos and 461 liters! There must be more than 50 of those containers or they must hold more than 5 gallons. I did talk to this illegal petrol dealer buying the gas and he told me he is taking the gas to Sagay City to sell to boaters and motorcyclists. Sagay City is two hours away from Bacolod! Are gas prices really that different that he can make a profit driving two hours to fill-up?

Here's another 4am fill-up.

I do not know how many containers this guy had but he did tell me he was taking this gasoline to Silay City which is only 30 minutes away.

From the foregoing pictures of illegal petrol dealers caught in the action it goes without saying that this black market could never succeed if the gas stations did not cooperate. Of course there are signs posted at all gas stations telling customers only approved containers will be filled.

But when have rules ever stopped anyone in the Philippines from doing something illegal? Never. How many times have I actually been in a vehicle refilling and the driver did not shut off the engine? It's like every single time and the pump-boy never tells the driver to shut off the engine. I'm going out on a limb here but the the pump-boys are a large part of the problem of illegal petrol trading.

Of course there are other hindrances to stopping this black market. To be sure the Department of Energy has said several times over the years that they are going to crack down on this practice. They even drew up a memorandum in 2003 with guidelines for gasoline retailers.  Here is the pertinent section.

Section 5. FUEL STORAGE, HANDLING, TRANSFER AND/OR DISPENSING 

The storage, handling, transfer and/or dispensing of Liquid Petroleum Products shall be subject to the following:

1. Liquid Petroleum Products shall be transferred only from underground tanks by means of fixed pumps designed and equipped to allow the control of the flow and prevent leakage or accidental discharge;
   
   
2. Liquid Petroleum Products shall not be dispensed from above -ground tanks, portable tanks, tank vehicles, drums, barrels or similar containers, e.g. bote-bote, into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles or containers;
   
   
3. The product suction lines of storage tanks shall be elevated at least four (4) inches from the bottom of the tank to avoid water draw-off with the product;
   
   
4. The discharge of Liquid Petroleum Products into or upon any street, highway, drainage canal or ditch, storm drain or flood control channel, lake or tidal waterway, or upon the ground shall be strictly prohibited.

https://www.doe.gov.ph/sites/default/files/pdf/issuances/dc_2003-11-010.pdf

The DOE has guidelines in place but they are worthless because they have no enforcement mechanism and are reliant on the Bureau of Fire Protection and LGU's but both are stymied by red tape.

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/30/govt-cant-stop-illegal-sale-of-fuel/

Government appears to be helpless in curbing the illegal sale of fuel by small retailers. 

This was the impression that came about at a meeting called by the 14th Sangguniang Panlungsod’s Committee on Public Safety on a proposed ordinance regulating the retail of liquid petroleum products. 

While government agencies have been trying to stop the illegal practice of selling fuel by the bottle, unclear mandates and legal loopholes have made it difficult to enforce the law, despite clear provisions that only gasoline stations are authorized to sell petroleum products. 

For example, only the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) can inspect small neighborhood stores suspected of selling fuel. But based on the experience of Insp. Anthony de Paz, acting city fire marshal, they can be charged with trespassing even if they have an inspection order. 

BFP officials also cannot make arrests. While fire personnel can confiscate fuel stored in soda bottles and displayed in the sari-sari stores, this is only in theory. 

This is because the Fire Code of the Philippines allows dwelling units to store combustible and flammable liquids for a maximum of 94 liters. 

BFP also cannot invoke the Fire Code provision that fuels must be placed in an approved container since the Department of Energy (DOE) has not come out with an approved standard container. The most that BFP inspectors can do is recommend the appropriate storing of petroleum products. 

This leaves the job of catching illegal retailers to the police, but it would require a search warrant. But a warrant is not enough as sari-sari stores often deny selling fuel and claim the products were just being stocked for the owner’s personal consumption.

That article from 2017 deserved to be quote in full to show you just how much red tape is involved in something as simple as enforcing the law against selling illegal gasoline. The BFP is the only organisation which can investigate stores accused of selling illegal gasoline but they can be charged with trespassing for doing so. Neither the BFP nor the DOE have "come out with an approved standard container." The PNP could get a warrant but then small stores could claim the gas is for their own consumption.

All this red tape and these loopholes are madness! No laws will ever be enforced in the Philippines except at the barrel of a gun. People don't want the laws enforced even if they are for their own safety. Do you think that's a exaggeration? Take a look at the following.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/212865/pilar-exec-asks-doe-for-a-moratorium-on-arrest-of-illegal-petro-traders

The municipal government of Pilar on Camotes Island has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) for a  moratorium in apprehending townsfolk who sell fuel contained in one-liter soda bottles. 

Pilar Mayor Eufracio Maratas told Cebu Daily News Digital that he sent a letter to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi  asking him to consider the absence of a gasoline station in their locality and be a little lenient in implementing the law on illegal petroleum trade.

The letter was sent through the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) on January 4, said Maratas. 

“Bisan until April lang kay naa na man diri sa Cawit nga magtukod og gasoline station. Nag process na man sa ilang documents. In fact, naa na man ang ilang permit. Ang pagconstruct na lang ang kulang,” Maratas told CDN Digital by phone on Thursday. 

In the past weeks, residents and officials of Pilar have complained that the town police,  led by Chief Inspector Roy Susvilla, have been strictly implementing the ban on the retailing of petroleum products, which badly affected the livelihood of many townsfolk,  especially that they need fuel to keep their businesses moving. 

On Thursday, January 17,  a team from the Department of Energy in Central Visayas (DOE-7) met with  Maratas and the town police. 

DOE-7 Legal Officer Russ Mark Gamallo, in a separate interview, said they had to explain the necessity of implementing the law even if  there is no gasoline station on the island. 

“Di nato pwedeng kalimtan nga duna tay balaod nga angay sundon ug ipatuman para pud sa kaayohan sa tanan,” Gamallo said. 

Under Presidential Decree 1865, the transport, sale and distribution of adulterated petroleum products is prohibited and punishable by two to five years of imprisonment and/or a fine ranging from P20,000 to P50,000. 

Adulterated petroleum products include those fuel contained in one-liter softdrink bottles, which are sold in Pilar, or those butane canisters filled with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). 

Gamallo said they committed to help in prioritizing the approval of the remaining documents of the firm that is putting up a gas station in Pilar. 

Maratas, on the other hand, said they also promised that as soon as  the gas station is  operational,  they will help in strictly implementing the law.

This article reads like a joke. The townspeople are complaining that the police have been enforcing the law and cracking down on illegal petrol dealing which badly affects their livelihood! Oh no someone cried, let's throw out the law! Who cares if butane canisters filled with gasoline are dangerous!?

How did the illegal gas get to that island anyway?

Just build a petrol station!