PNP files profiteering, hoarding charges vs gas station, driver
The Philippine National Police has filed charges against a gas station for alleged profiteering and a person caught hoarding 680 liters of gasoline.
“We had two whom we already filed cases against,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel forum on Wednesday. “These are in Nueva Vizcaya and Eastern Samar.”
According to a police report Tuaño later forwarded to reporters, a concerned citizen in Nueva Vizcaya reported that on March 8, a gas station along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Quezon, Solano town, was selling diesel at P84 per liter, which was higher than those being sold at nearby stations.
On the other hand, a 29-year-old driver was stopped by the police at a checkpoint with 680 liters of premium gasoline in Barangay Garden, Arteche, Eastern Samar on March 11.
“During the checkpoint operation, the suspect was transporting petroleum products without valid documents and permits,” the police report read.
The driver faces charges of violating Section 2(d) of Batas Pambansa No. 33, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1865, which pertains to the illegal hoarding of petroleum products.
The PNP has been working with the Department of Energy (DOE) to gather information on gas stations that have abruptly stopped operating amid surging oil price hikes. The DOE has also deputized the police to monitor whether retailers are not hiking their prices excessively.
Tuaño said that the PNP has so far recorded 372 gas stations closing nationwide.
He added that the Municipal Pricing Coordinating Council, of which the PNP is a member, has been convened to help monitor gas prices.
Police hotline
“To report any information, not only related to profiteering, if it is connected to peace and order, just dial 911 and the Philippine National Police will respond to it,” Tuaño said.
Fuel prices have been rising in the past two weeks, with diesel hitting over P100 per liter, after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, prompting the latter to strike back and block passage to the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime chokepoint for 20 percent of global oil imports.
Tuaño, meanwhile, said the PNP will be offering free rides to stranded commuters on March 19 as transport group Piston goes on strike to protest the oil price increases and to push its demand for a fare increase.
“It’s not just about monitoring peace and order. We will also help our kababayan who want to go to work,” he said.
According to the PNP, the National Capital Region Police Office will deploy around 10,000 police officers to ensure increased police visibility during the transport strike.
