The volume of marked tax-paid oil products breached the six-billion liter mark last week, while the Bureau of Customs (BOC) sought exemption of the fuel marking program from movement restrictions during the Luzon community quarantine against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Customs Deputy Commissioner Teddy Sandy S. Raval told the Inquirer last Friday (March 20) that as of March 19, a total of 6.019 billion liters of fuel products had been injected with chemicals signifying payment of correct excise in the case of locally refined petroleum, and import duties for products from abroad.
Raval said 1.1 billion liters was marked in 2019, on top of about five billion from January this year until this month.
Raval said there was no disruption in fuel-marking despite the Luzon quarantine.
Still, Raval said the BOC had sought to exempt the fuel marking program from any quarantine restrictions.
“Disruption of the fuel marking program may mean disruption of fuel supply,” Raval said.
Raval said the BOC sought exemption from at least four government agencies—Department of Health, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police.
“We’re optimistic they’ll allow it. Markers are goods anyway, not persons who can infect,” Raval said.
Personnel who would do the fuel-marking would be required to observe social distancing, he said.
“We have people in place already at depots and terminals,” Raval said.
The fuel-marking guidelines issued in 2019 required the BOC to do the fuel-marking in depots, tankers, vessels, warehouses and other fuel transport vehicles.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) was required to do the marking in depots, gas stations and other retail outlets.
The BOC and BIR had been given police power to do field tests and seize adulterated, diluted or unmarked petroleum and arrest violators.
This year, the government aims to generate an additional P20 billion in revenues from the fuel marking program.