By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of the government’s relentless crackdown on individuals who are taking advantage of the current situation for personal gain, the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) continues to launch operations against those engaging in fuel-related misconduct.
In a recent operation along C3 Road, Barangay 21, Caloocan City, operatives apprehended six individuals who were caught in the act of transferring methanol from a tanker into plastic containers already filled with gasoline and diesel.
This new oil pilferage (paihi) scheme discovered by the authorities is said to be used by unscrupulous individuals to rake in profits—stretching limited supplies by increasing fuel volume—but can also damage engines and pose serious fire hazards.
Approximately 10,000 liters of methanol; 8,000 liters of unleaded gasoline; 1,000 liters of premium gasoline; and 1,000 liters of diesel, estimated to be worth P8.9 million, were seized during the operation.
The suspects said that the methanol-infused fuels produced at the facility were sold to private trucking firms, but failed to present proper documents.
The owner of the tanker has been identified and invited for investigation, but authorities have yet to determine the buyers who patronize the adulterated fuel.
This latest haul by PNP-HPG operatives adds to the 27 other such incidents they have recorded for March, among other high-profile cases, which include an illegal depot in Navotas, an illegal stockpile of diesel in a residential area in Quezon City, and the discovery of fuel pilferage operations in Laguna.
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