THE Department of Energy (DOE) in Central Visayas has warned the public of its continued campaign against the use of butane canisters being refilled with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) because it is unsafe and illegal.
Engineer Rey Malleza, DOE-Central Visayas director, issued the warning during his weekend visit to Dumaguete City.
Citing provisions of the law, Malleza warned butane canister refillers in Negros Oriental and in other areas that they will be prosecuted and face the possibility of business closure for operating without permits.
The Bacolod City Council had approved a resolution urging the DOE, the police, and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to strictly enforce provisions of the law, he said.
Malleza said the campaign against the proliferation of butane canisters being refilled with LPG is being conducted throughout the region. It started in Cebu with 32 raids conducted on identified refillers operating illegally and also in the entire Negros Island.
The DOE director cautioned the sellers that they still have time to stop their illegal operation before the operatives swoop down on their establishments.
Butane canisters that are made of ordinary tin cans are used in portable stoves during outdoor activities like camping, but due to its convenience, business-minded individuals had found a way of making money out of the empty butane canisters by refilling them with LPG, he noted.
LPG-refilled butane canisters are heavier and with bigger pressure than the butane, which could result in leaking thus, igniting a fire, he said.
He also said that at least six fire incidents in Cebu last year had been traced to the use of LPG-refilled canisters.
In Bacolod City, two LPG refilling stations have been monitored, one in Talisay and the other in Sagay.
Since Presidential Decree 1865 (amending Batas Pambansa Bilang 33, entitled “An Act Defining and Penalizing Certain Prohibited Acts Inimical To The Public Interests and National Security Involving Petroleum And/Or Petroleum Products...) is an old law, violators are only meted with imprisonment of up to five years maximum and fines of up to PHP50,000, Malleza said. (PNA)