GAZ Lite launches in Cebu

Visayas has seen as proliferation of illegally refilled butane canisters sold openly despite repeated warnings from the Department of Energy.

Gaz Lite mate canister is launched in Cebu by Pascal Resources Energy, Inc. (PREI) to counter the illegal LPG trade.

Metro Cebu being the center of illegal liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) operations has been selected by a private social enterprise to introduce an aluminum refillable canister product seen addressing illegal LPG operations in households and food business enterprises.

This was the assurance made by Pascal Resources Energy Inc. (PREI) which launched Tuesday in Cebu City. Their 230-gram refillable aluminum LPG canister can be used with current LPG models of rated portable gas stoves and grillers called GAZ LITE MATE.

“As the Department of Energy (DoE) has warned, butane canisters are for single-use only and should not be refilled with LPG. Butane canisters are not built to withstand the pressure of LPG. It is a real safety risk and fire hazard,” said Matthew Par, PREI assistant vice president for brand and marketing.

He said Gaz Lite Mate presents a safer, cost-efficient and green solution to using traditional fuels.

PREI considers itself a social enterprise, addressing energy poverty by offering LPG in a more accessible format to the marginalized sector. An estimated 60 percent of families across the country still use wood and charcoal for cooking, which typically cost P30 per day.

Western and Central Visayas have been tagged as priority markets for higher use of cleaner and safer fuels for cooking as the regions have posted the highest use of traditional fuels like kerosene, wood and charcoal that not only deplete natural resources but also cause potential health risks.

Par said Gaz Lite presents a viable solution to many consumers who are still using butane canisters and wrongly refilling them with LPG. Visayas has seen as proliferation of illegally refilled butane canisters sold openly despite repeated warnings from the DoE.

Gaz Lite is a wholly-Filipino innovation that is the first and only of its kind in the Philippines and in the world.

While the canister design is not new, Gaz Lite is deemed innovative and novel as storage for LPG by independent analysts. It has also been conferred the Philippine Standard Quality mark from the Bureau of Philippine Standards of the Department of Trade and Industry.