Series of nationwide ‘LPG summits’ set

The Department of Energy (DOE) will be conducting a series of summits nationwide to ensure consumer protection and safety in the use and sale of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products.

As demand for LPG grows amid soaring prices, the summits will provide an avenue for consumer awareness and education on health, safety, security, environmental and quality standards, the DOE said in a statement on Wednesday.

Together with LPG associations, the DOE hopes to protect consumers against industry malpractices, which include the sale of counterfeit cylinders.

In the first half of 2022 alone, LPG firm Solane confiscated more than P400,000 worth of illegal tanks in several raids across Metro Manila, Camarines Norte, Cagayan, Sorsogon and Quirino.

A total of 1,486 tanks—amounting to over P4 million—were seized in 2021.Possession, sale and manufacture of fake LPG tanks and seals are prohibited under Republic Act No. 11592, or the LPG Industry Regulation Act passed in October 2021.

The Manila LPG summit will be held on Thursday and Friday at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, following the regional legs in La Union and Pampanga provinces.

LPG regional summits will also be held in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

The DOE is expected to present the recently issued Department Circular No. 2022-11-0037, or the Guidelines on the Registration and Issuance of License to Operate to Qualified DOE-regulated LPG Industry Participants.

“With its high demand, the LPG industry has significantly widened its market, but some of its participants are engaging in unfair and unsafe trade practices, impairing consumers and, to a full extent, causing negative externalities to society,” the DOE said.

Data from the Bureau of Fire Protection show that 1,254 fire incidents in the Philippines from 2010 to 2021 were LPG-related, posing a danger to consumers. INQ