The long-awaited liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) safety bill regulating the LPG industry breezed through the bicameral panel, paving the way for its ratification and early enactment into law soon as Congress reconvenes regular session on July 26.
Envisioned to “ensure consumer welfare against illegally refilled and poor quality cylinders,” the LPG reform bill took all of 18 years and seven congresses, to inch closer to its final ratification leading to its submission to Malacañang for President Duterte to sign it into law.
The bicameral conference committee wrapped up on Tuesday the final version of the enabling bill embodying the proposed LPG Industry Regulation Act, setting “the best conduct and practices for all domestic industry players and institutionalize the cylinder exchange and swapping program” to allow consumers to purchase any LPG cylinder brand of their choice.
Sen. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee that crafted the remedial legislation embodied in his Senate Bill 1955, assured the enabling law included additional features to guard against unsafe cylinders.
“With one unified LPG bill that will ultimately govern the entire LPG industry,” Gatchalian assured, “we can now fill in the regulatory gaps that are being experienced by our industry players and strengthen the various regulations issued by the government.”
The senator stressed that “most important of all, it will provide safety standards for the protection of the consumers by eliminating unsafe cylinders from circulation.”
He recalled that Senate deliberations on the final form of the bill “went smoothly as the panel opted to adopt the House of Representatives’ proposed provisions on penalties and their House counterparts agreeing to the covered prohibited acts laid down by the Senate.
The reconciled version of the Senate Bill 1955, authored by Gatchalian, was merged with House Bill 9323 that, likewise, provided standards and responsibilities of LPG industry participants, including importers, bulk suppliers, bulk distributors, haulers, refillers, trademark owners, marketers, dealers, and retail outlets, in complying with the stringent safety protocols.
Underscoring the need for a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern the LPG industry, Gatchalian noted that it is widely used for a variety of purposes such as heating, lighting, cooking on a daily basis for four in 10 Filipino households and even fuel for motor vehicles.
The senator added that “considering the importance of LPG as a household energy source and keeping in mind its hazardous quality if left improperly regulated, it is certainly high time for this bill to finally become a law,” Gatchalian said, adding the remedial legisation is expected to also put an end to wrong practices of some unscrupulous LPG traders selling underweight cylinders and importing second hand cylinders.