Authorities flag fuel tanker for allegedly transferring 20,000 liters of gasoline to a residential area in QC
Authorities in Quezon City have impounded a 20,000-liter fuel tanker after it was found allegedly transferring gasoline in a residential neighborhood in Quezon City.
The tanker reportedly arrived at around 11 a.m. on April 4 for a fuel transfer at a private compound in Scout Castor Street in Barangay Sacred Heart. Concerned residents then reported the incident to barangay officials after they found a fuel storage installation at one of the houses there.
“During that time, residents were sort of panicked about why a tanker was arriving at their place, which is a residential area,” Barangay Sacred Heart Chairperson Camille Malig-David told The STAR on Monday. “In fact, they sent a petition, which has already been delivered to the district office, to have the diesel removed.”
While the tanker momentarily left, it returned at 6 p.m. and unloaded diesel, with the crew ignoring fire officials who tried to stop the operation.
Officers from QCPD Station 10 have now flagged the tanker and have identified its owner. However, no arrests have been made as officers have only reached out through the owner's representatives and are still awaiting complete documentation.
Malig-David said the residence had no registered business.
In a press conference, BFP officer-in-charge Chief Supt. Wilbero Rico Neil Kwan Tiu explained that the tanker will remain impounded "unless they can provide necessary permits for their activities."
According to him, this was done in order to prevent a potential fire hazard.
"In case magkaroon ng maling pag-unload ng mga flammable liquids," Kwan Tiu said. "It's really very hazardous because there's a possibility that it will start or ignite and it will be a big fire."
"Second, it is possible of explosion, kasi wala na siyang mga necessary fire safety requirements. Hindi po natin ma-confirm pero yung driver po. binigyan na ng information sa Quezon City Fire District at pinapareport na po sila to submit the necessary [documents]," he added.
While investigations are still ongoing, Kwan Tiu speculated that it may have something to do with the rise in fuel prices brought about by the tensions in the Middle East.
"Maybe it's because of economic purpose. Tumaas 'yung presyo ng langis, baka po mag-stock sila when the price goes high," he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy said that storing petroleum products in residential areas is dangerous.
"Storing liters of diesel or any other petroleum product in a residential area is unsafe; it’s not okay," DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella told GMA News in Filipino. "The transfer has no permit and this kind of operation usually doesn’t get one."
He stressed that energy supplies should go to legitimate outlets like gas stations, "not residences with huge storage capacities."
The DOE and Department of Information and Technology previously launched a complaint center in the eGOV PH app, where individuals can report panic buying, fuel hoarding, non-compliance with fuel pricing, unauthorized price increase, refusal to sell, and fuel shortage.
The conflict in the Middle East began when Israel, in coordination with the US, launched airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, taking out Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Retaliatory attacks have upended the region, as well as markets across the globe. (with reports from EJ Macababbad)