“There are 12 million LPG tank cylinders being used all over the Philippines, half of which are not safe for use, half of that should not even be used at all.”

        This was a warning of Chief Alex H. Rayos, Real and Market Monitoring Division of the Department of Energy (DOE) to local LPG traders and dealers about the increasing number of dilapidated LPG cylinder tanks that should have been discarded or re-qualified at a briefing and forum discussion done at the Peoples Hall of the Albay Capitol yesterday, May 9

        Rayos told the LPG dealers the various warning signs to be observed cautioning them against buying from suspicious LPG refilling stations.

        “Many LPG refilling stations must have the proper permits and facilities to be able to produce and manufacture LPG cylinder tanks of good quality and are just simply painting over old tanks to make them look new,” Mr. Rayos said.

        “New tanks have ten years before they need to be re-qualified to make them safe for use and re-qualification should be done every after five years after the first re-qualification,” Rayos said.

        “We need to be very vigilant with the quality and physical strength of the LPG cylinder tanks we use to avoid leakages which could result to explosions, which in turn could cause damages and maybe even loss of lives,” warned Rayos.

        Alex Rayos further described the illegal ways on how LPG refillers make their tanks look legitimate.

        “Some of them go through all the trouble of having to saw off serial numbers, replacing collar rings and silkscreening cylinder markings,” Rayos said.

        He said about a case where some illegal refillers imported empty cylinder tanks from Japan found to be already extremely damaged and very dangerous to use.

        Rayos told the Albay LPG retailers to check on their LPG cylinder tanks daily, making sure they have the proper seals, a distinctive collar, the brand name, a distinguishing cylinder color of each brand name, the serial number, the tare weight, the content weight and the date of manufacture and re-qualification.

        In gracing the occasion, Governor Fernando V. Gonzales urged the Albay LPG players to adhere with the parameters and regulations set by the DOE.

        “Let us follow the rules and regulations made by the DOE to ensure the safety of the Albayanos in their homes, close harmony between the government and the private sector will keep our homes safe,” Gonzalez said in his welcome address. (Ramon Carlo F. Fernandez III)