Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III has approved the donation to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) of fuels that were seized by the Bureau of Customs and forfeited in favor of the government.
The Customs will turn over a total of 41,356.8 liters of fuel to the PCG, while another 6,000 liters will be given to the military, the DOF said in a statement on Wednesday, June 1.
These fuel stocks were seized during the Customs’ enforcement activities under the Fuel Marking Program.
Diesel fuel totaling about 11,000 liters were seized by the agency on Feb. 24, 2021 inside the premises of a bus company in Caloocan City after field tests showed that these were unmarked, meaning no duties and taxes were paid for them.
The forfeiture order for the unmarked fuel became final and executory on Jan. 27, 2022, clearing the way for its donation to the PCG, the DOF said.
The Customs also found unmarked diesel fuel stored in gas stations in Meycauyan, Bulacan, and at in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija during several field testing operations done in Metro Manila and nearby provinces late last year.
Totaling 23,999 liters, the unmarked fuel stocks were forfeited in favor of the government on Jan. 5, 2022 and will also be turned over to the PCG.
The Customs will also donate to the PCG 6,357.8 liters of fuel it confiscated in September last year at a retail gas station in Arayat, Pampanga.
In line with the provisions of its mutual assistance agreement with the AFP, the Customs will also donate 6,000 liters of automotive diesel fuel to the military.
Under their agreement, the AFP will provide the manpower needed to assist the bureau in its law enforcement activities while the latter will, upon forfeiture of its seized illegal fuel, donate them to the AFP.
Fuel marking, which involves injecting chemical identifiers into tax-paid oil products, is being carried out under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law to curb smuggling of petroleum products.