Churchill Aguilar THERE is this growing illegal commerce that sprouts like mushrooms around our city and somehow everyone is ignoring it, including the law enforcers. And while we think it’s too little to make an issue out of it, it actually is not. I am talking about gasoline peddlers who display low lead and unleaded fuel on cola bottles and then sell them at relatively way cheaper prices than those at gas stations with a difference of P10 to P15 per liter. I mean I am a supporter of small-scale businesses, especially those that cart families out of poverty, and so I should be tolerating such business. But as an educated motorist, I simply can’t turn a blind eye on the hazard that this commerce brings. There is just something so wrong with such economic enterprise. To mention a few:
  1. Safety of the public is compromised. By allowing these peddlers to thrive, we have exposed the public to great hazard. These commodities are highly flammable. A small spill from here and there could lead to catastrophe. I mean they don’t even have proper equipment to transfer the fuel to their customers’ vehicles. Almost always there would be spills when these gasoline get loaded on the vehicle exposing it to any ignition. There is an obvious reason why such commodities are only sold at gas stations. These stations have passed the criteria for safety and are subject for regular inspection.
  2. The quality of fuel is unchecked. Since we do not know what brand of fuel those things come from and since we do not know where they get these products, we therefore have no assurance of the quality of fuel that they sell. For all we know they mix them with something else just to increase their volume for greater profit. And since they are all obviously unregistered, we could not run after them and invoke our rights as customers.
  3. As unregistered traders, our local government could not collect revenues from their sale and they are therefore not contributing to our local treasury which is supposedly translated into social services for Kagay-anons. Since they are not paying taxes, such trading is ultimately stealing from us.
I have to be honest that I sometimes patronize the product but that’s because it is readily available and the price is a little hard to resist especially at times when your pocket doesn’t have much in it. But just because people patronize it doesn’t mean it is good, it is safe, and should be tolerated. In like manner, just because prostitution is patronized too doesn’t mean it is safe and good as well. So this appeal goes to our law enforcers and whichever agency deputized to arrest illegal trade. Let us not wait for accidents to happen before we open our eyes to these hazards. Let us protect our people from substandard products as well and safeguard the rights of consumers. Stop unsafe, unregistered and unregulated fuel peddling.