Wanted: source of oil

The Department of Energy (DOE) wants to know who owned the liquid fuel or petroleum that was transported from a barge at the port of the Loon, Bohol last week.

The agency will issue a showcause order to the tank trucks’ owner to identify the supplier, although the owner of the barge and the petroleum could be identified through the bill of lading and the name of the oil product, said DOE Visayas Legal Officer Mark Gamallo.

Ted Ayeng, manager of radio dyTR in Bohol, said several people took videos of the barge and the tank trucks because the delivery surprised the residents there.

DOE Visayas Director Saul Gonzales said the port of Tagbilaran City, and not the port in Loon, was the regular petroleum delivery route.

He said delivering liquid fuel endangered properties and people’s lives. That was why it required a permit from the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he said.

Although they identified the owner of the tank trucks, Gonzales said they still didn’t know whether the petroleum was sourced locally or if it was smuggled from abroad.

Gonzales said they sought a joint investigation with the Police Maritime Group and the Coast Guard because of the DOE’s limited funds.

Gonzales made it clear that because of the Oil Deregulation Law, oil traders or oil distributors could choose where to get their products. However, the trading of petroleum should be within the bounds of law. Violators would be prosecuted, he said.