The Department of Energy (DOE) has instructed players in the deregulated downstream oil industry to assess the quality of their fuel products before these are retailed to customers – primarily if there had been infiltration of floodwaters in their underground storage facilities or if some supplies had been compromised following massive flooding precipitated by typhoon Carina.

“In light of typhoon Carina’s impact, all liquid fuels retail outlets (LFRO) in Metro Manila and affected provinces are advised to promptly assess the quality of their fuel products stored in underground tanks post-flooding,” the DOE has ordered.

The department further mandated that “LFRO operators must conduct immediate quality analysis of fuel in underground storage tanks,” to ascertain if there had been incidents of product contamination.

And if it will be established that the fuel products had already been adulterated or rendered ‘impure’, the DOE sternly directed that the sale of products from the affected storage facilities must be instantaneously halted.

“If contamination is detected, selling from the affected tank must stop until remedial actions are taken and contaminated products are replaced,” the DOE specified.

The energy department emphasized “LFROs are urged to sell only fuels compliant with Philippine National Standards (PNS) and the Biofuels Act of 2008 to uphold fair trade practices and maintain product quality.”

The DOE expounded its Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) and field offices will relentlessly “promote fair trade practices, monitor marketing processes and quality of liquid fuels.”

Further, the department reiterated warning that it will “stop the operation of businesses involved in the sale of liquid fuels not complying with the national standards of quality.”

Phoenix Petroleum rollback and continued operations

In a related development, Phoenix Petroleum announced that it was able to “maintain operations in Luzon despite the significant impact of typhoon Carina.”

The oil firm qualified that while it is not currently operating at full capacity, it still “continues to serve its customers during this challenging period.”

Raymond Zorrilla, senior vice president of Phoenix Petroleum, asserted that the company is “committed to being of service to our customers, especially during these difficult times,” adding that “our team is working tirelessly to restore full operations across our sites in Luzon.”

He similarly assured that the company had “conducted thorough quality checks on our products, particularly in the affected retail stations in Luzon, and can confirm that our fuels remain safe for use.”

The oil firm has also jumped the gun on competitors on the implementation of advance price rollback “to provide relief to the public in the aftermath of Typhoon Carina.”

The price cuts implemented by Phoenix Petroleum had been at P0.80 per liter for gasoline; and P0.75 per liter for diesel products.