The police arrested a 72-year-old man who was caught in the act of illegally refilling and selling petroleum products in Purok Riverside, Barangay Banago, Bacolod City, Monday afternoon, August 31.
The entrapment was conducted at about 2:43 p.m. by joint elements of the City Intelligence Unit of the Bacolod City Police Office, led by PLt. Rhanie B. Songaling, with George Danny U. Gemotra, a representative from the Republic Gas Corporation.
Undercover operatives caught the suspect mid-transaction during a buy-bust operation targeting illicit butane and gas distribution, recovering three filled REGASCO-brand butane canisters along with a marked ₱100 bill and ₱1,207 in cash proceeds.
A search of the immediate area yielded an extensive haul of illegal equipment and dangerous containers valued at an estimated total of ₱90,000, including 15 filled 50-kilogram LPG cylinders, six sacks and nine crates of filled assorted butane canisters, three sacks of empty canisters, a digital weighing scale, and an improvised refilling apparatus, the police reported.
The suspect is currently detained at the Bacolod City Police Station 3 for proper disposition and is facing formal charges for violating Republic Act 11592, also known as the LPG Industry Regulation Act, which strictly penalizes the unauthorized refilling and distribution of petroleum products due to severe public safety and fire hazards, the police added.*
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