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.

Filling up a Liter Bottle of Red Horse With Gasoline

I have written a few articles about the illegal gas trade in the Philippines but I thought I would take it a step further and see the depths of stupidity to which people can fall. As an experiment I thought I would see if the local gas station would fill up an empty liter bottle of Red Horse. 

As I approached the place this guy walked past me with his very own soda bottle full of gas.

This was basically a sign from heaven in confirmation of my question. Of course they would fill up my empty Red Horse bottle. They even had a funnel ready for the purpose.

As Rafiki lifted up Simba so I lifted up my empty bottle of Red Horse and told them to fill it up. With no compunction they obliged.

What more can I say here? This whole situation is stupid. These people are stupid. Watch the video below.

 

Lawless Philippines: The Illegal Gas Trade in the Philippines

The issue of the illegal gasoline trade in the Philippines is rather tricky when it should be cut and dry. It is illegal to transport, store, and sell gasoline unless you are following all the rules listed by the Department of Energy as laid out in their circular PROVIDING FOR THE RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE BUSINESS OF RETAILING LIQUID PETROLEUM PRODUCTS.  The rules should be rather obvious without having to read them. One needs proper permits and proper equipment to sell, transport, and store gasoline. End of story.

But not end of story. This law, like other laws, is overlooked because of sympathy for impoverished folks trying to make a living. This is why vendors are allowed to obstruct roads and sidewalks. A misguided compassion for the poor is no excuse to ignore the law. For instance those illegal vendors often block traffic and harass passers-by. Why should anyone have to deal with that when city officials are paid to enforce the laws which prevent it from happening?

Filipinos do any and everything they can to make ends meet, even illegally selling gasoline by the liter from Coca-Cola bottles. Before it can be transferred to Coke bottles it has to be pumped out and transported.

I talked to the guys loading this up and was told that each container holds 20 liters and that there were 180 of them. That is 3,600 liters or 951 gallons of gasoline. They were transporting this to a town about 2 hours away during a time when there were quarantine checkpoints all over the place.

Looks safe huh? Looks like a proper storage vehicle for thousands of liters of gasoline. Here is the same truck brazenly stocking up in the afternoon.

The next step is getting it to the consumer. Just how is the gas transferred from the containers to the bottles? Like this:

I passed this guy once before and I saw him sucking on that tube. Sadly I did not get a picture. Whether through oral suction or other means the gasoline is siphoned out of the container and into the bottles. There is both premium and regular gasoline as evidenced by the color.

Everybody sells their gasoline differently. Some people set out their crates and wait for passing vehicles to stop.

I have only ever seen this particular seller in the early morning. Never in the afternoon. Other people advertise their illegal gasoline business differently.

It is rather shameless to have a large sign in the front of your house advertising your illegal gasoline business. It's not at all different from having a sign with, "SHABU" writ large to attract customers.

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." That is why there is so much disorder in this country. Filipinos do not think potential problems are real problems which is why there are so many actual problems. And then they somehow think those actual problems can be rectified in a few months or weeks when they are the result of decades of neglect. This scenario touches every problem in the Philippines from the issue of polluted waterways to endemic corruption in the government. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

There are a lot more questions here such as how does one get involved in this trade in the first place and how do illegal traders convince petrol stations to fill their containers? It's a problem that is not going away. Make no mistake, it is a problem. It is a shame and a danger that the PNP does not enforce this law.

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!