By Albert-Anthony Abando, Philippine News Agency on November 25, 2017 

MANILA — House Committee Chairman for Energy Lord Allan Velasco and Energy Assistant Secretary Leonido Pulido III visited Friday two LPG depots in Metro Manila to further enhance the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) safety bill filed in Congress.

“We need to institutionalize the LPG Code of Safety and raise more awareness,” Pulido said, adding the Department of Energy (DOE) is lobbying for the LPG safety bill. 

“We’re hoping for the passage of the bill. We believe it will address a significant portion of the problem,” Pulido said, referring to accidents due to unsafe practices in LPG plants.

In a statement, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi strongly reminded the LPG industry participants that substandard and defective LPG tanks have caused fires and explosions.

“The safety of everyone should never be compromised. Government and the private sector should work together and give a higher premium to public safety to protect every user of LPG,” Cusi said. 

Velasco and Pulido visited the PR Gaz LPG refilling plant in Pasig and the Ferrotech Steel Company in Valenzuela City, where they were shown the quality control measures the plants implement for each LPG cylinder. 

Accompanying Velasco and Pulido were the staff of the DOE’s Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB), the House Committees on Energy and Trade and Industry, and members of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Industry Association Inc. (LPGIA). 

During the visit, Pulido informed industry players that Cusi had approved the LPG Code of Safety for Refilling Plants to ensure that safety practices are adhered to.

PR Gaz featured its safety practices as it led the tour of its LPG Refilling Plant. PR Gaz showed that it delivers an average of 26,000 kilograms of LPG daily to its storage facility that houses about 1.1 million kilograms of LPG. To ensure safety, PR Gaz conducts quality inspections daily. 

Ferrotech, for its LPG Cylinder Manufacturing Plant, presented its manufacturing operations. It said that it can produce 1250 regular cylinders, 480 small cylinders and 120 big cylinders in a single production shift. Ferrotech said LPG cylinders must undergo a requalification process, 10 years after its manufacturing date and five years thereafter, to ensure that said cylinders are still safe to use.

The plant visits are in line with the DOE’s E-Safety Mo campaign, which seeks to ensure safe energy practices among all energy users. E-Safety Mo aims to expand the knowledge of consumers and stakeholders for wiser use of energy.