The Bureau of Customs (BoC) on Friday disclosed that it has sealed off a local refilling gas station in Valenzuela City after discovering it was selling unmarked fuel.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP) agents found that three tanks of the gas station contained unmarked fuel worth P3.1 million.
BoC-CIIS director Verne Enciso said agents conducted a Chain of Custody Activities — marking, sampling, and testing fuels from source, carrier vehicle/vessel, and destination retail/fuel stations or storage.
“After the gas station representative acknowledged the Mission Order, our personnel collected samples from the four fuel tanks. Tanks numbers one to three failed the test, while tank four passed,” Enciso said.
The BoC official explained that unmarked fuel, or the lack of an official fuel marker, indicates the lack of necessary duties and taxes. Fuel markers guarantee product integrity and protect against counterfeiting and tax fraud.
Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Juvymax Uy said fuel tanks number one to three that failed the fuel mark testing contained 19,196 liters of premium gasoline, 18,680 liters of unleaded gasoline, and 19,098 liters of blended diesel, respectively.
Of the four tanks tested, only the fourth tank, which had 4,000 liters of blended diesel, passed the fuel marking test.
“Every successful operation by the BOC results in a safer community. Selling unmarked fuel puts people, businesses, and communities at risk. Without the necessary fuel markers, we cannot be sure of the safety of the fuel being sold in the market,” Uy said.
“This isn’t just about money and taxes; this is also about the lives of the people selling and consuming these products,” he added.
Following the failed marks on the initial tests, the fuel samples will undergo confirmatory testing by the SGS Main Laboratory.
The BoC team also temporarily padlocked and sealed the gasoline station.