Tiyaking ligtas ang mga LPG

DAPAT tiyakin ang kaligtasan ng paggamit ng liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pati ang lahat ng yugto at proseso ng industriya nito. Ito ang binigyang-diin ni Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada sa Senate Bill 2897 (LPG Regulation and Safety Act) na kaniyang isinusulong katuwang ang ilang kapuwa mambabatas.

Aniya, “Ang paggamit ng LPG sa mga tahanan, negosyo, sasakyan at iba-t-ibang industriya ay naging bahagi na ng pag-unlad ng lipunan. Kailangang maging mahigpit ang mga patakaran sa pagtitiyak na ligtas ang paggamit ng mga ito.”

Alinsunod sa panukala:

A.) This Act shall apply to the importation, refining, refilling, transportation, distribution and marketing of LPG; the manufacture, requalification, exchange, swapping or improvement of LPG cylinders; and the safe operations of the LPG industry, covering all activities and businesses related to LPG products for household, commercial, industrial or automotive use (Auto-LPG) and cylinders or containers for LPG.

B.) The Department of Energy (DOE) shall be the primary res­ponsible agency for the implementation of this Act… in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)… and shall:

1. regulate, supervise and monitor the LPG industry and persons and entities engaged in it;

2. implement safety standards for refilling plants, depots, sto­rage areas, transportation facilities and other related facilities or business premises, and exercise reasonable visitorial powers to inspect and evaluate the same;

3. inspect LPG cylinders in circulation, whether filled or unfilled, which are for distribution and sale to dealers, retail outlets and end-consumers… and confiscate and impound immediately substandard, defective, unsafe, injurious or dangerous LPG and cylinders;

4. implement the Philippine LPG Cylinder Improvement Program;

5. issue closure or cease-and-desist orders to violating industry participants;

6. operationalize the LPG Monitoring and Enforcement Task Force; and

7. undertake educational and information dissemination activities to enhance customer awareness among LPG consumers and end-u­sers, and conduct study and research on developing more efficient methods of providing safe, clean and hazard-free LPG to consumers.