GOV'T SHOULD HAVE POWER TO SEIZE DEFECTIVE LPG TANKS - ROXAS
SINGLE AGENCY TO REGULATE WHOLE INDUSTRY PUSHED

Liberal President Senator Mar Roxas today said the government should have the power to seize defective LPG cylinders that are proliferating all over the country.

The Visayan senator also said regulation, monitoring and quality control of the LPG cylinder industry should be given to only one government agency.

"Gawain ng mga mapang-abusong negosyante ang pagbebenta ng mga depektibong tangke ng LPG. Kung walang kapangyarihan ang pamahalaan na habulin at kumpiskahin ang mga tangkeng ito, hindi mahihinto ang iligal na gawain ng mga negosyanteng ito (Scrupulous businessmen sell these defective LPG tanks. If government does not stop and run after these unfit tanks, the illegal activities of these businessmen will not also stop)," he said.

"Napakarami nang namatay, napakarami nang nasunog, milyon-milyon sa mga arian ang naging abo na lang dahil dito sa mga depektibong LPG tanks na ito. Dapat ay makumpiska na ang mga ito at mawala na sa pamilihan (So many people have died and millions worth of properties have been destroyed because of these substandard tanks. These should be confiscated and pulled out from the market as soon as possible)," he stressed.

Under the current set up, the pre-qualification and inspection of tanks fall under the Department of Trade and Industry while the LPG filling and re-filling is supervised and regulated by the Department of Energy.

Such a setup becomes tedious and confusing when government liability is pursued in cases like when a defective tank explodes and kills and destroys properties, according to Roxas.

The LPG Industry Association and the Bureau of Fire Protection has recorded about 1,700 fires from 2001 to 2008 caused by defective cylinders. Industry records show some 6 million tanks, either already scrapped or in need of new inspection and certification, remain in circulation at the local market.

"Sa panukalang binubuo natin, gagawin na nating isang ahensiya na lang para wala ng turuan. Gagawin na nating responsible and accountable ang isang ahensiya na siyang hahabulin natin at pupukpukin natin kung mangyari man uli ang mga ganitong insidente (In the bill that we are finalizing now, we will just put all the powers over the industry under one agency to stop all these finger-pointing. We will make one agency responsible and accountable so we can run after it when more serious issues arise)," he said.

The Senate trade and commerce committee, which is chaired by Roxas, is now finalizing discussions on the proposed LPG Act, which seeks a stronger government campaign against sub-standard LPG cylinders and would lay down new guidelines in the regulation of the industry.