The Department of Energy (DOE) said that with the support of different liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) associations, they will be conducting a series of information and education campaign to ensure consumer protection against industry malpractices, including the illegal refilling and under-filling as well as the sale of counterfeit LPG products.

The DOE said this will be done through LPG Summits that will focus on promoting consumer awareness on health, safety, security, environmental, and quality standards for the proper use of LPG, LPG pressure vessels, and ancillary equipment.

With the high demand, the LPG industry has significantly widened its market, but some of its participants are engaging in unfair and unsafe trade practices, impairing consumers and, to a full extent, causing negative externalities to society.

Based on the data from the Bureau of Fire Protection, there were a total of 1 58,266 fire incidents in the Philippines from 201 0 to 2021, in which 1 ,254 incidents or 0.79% are LPG-related. Although small in number, the gravity to properties and lives is enormous.

This is the very reason why government puts safety as the major focus in the business of LPG.

Two LPG Regional Summits were already conducted in San Fernando, La Union, and the City of San Fernando, Pampanga in January and early February of this year.

The third LPG Summit will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City from March 2-3, 2023, and succeeding LPG Regional summits are already scheduled for Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao Regions.

The DOE said the summit will not only provide guidance on the safety of the end consumers on LPG use, including storage and handling but also uphold the right of the consumer to freely choose the trademark or trade name of LPG-filled cylinders they want to purchase.

In 2021, Congress passed Republic Act (RA) No. 1 1 592 which sets the conduct and best practices for all domestic industry players and institutionalizes the cylinder exchange and swapping program to allow consumers to purchase any LPG cylinder brand.

It also establishes an LPG Cylinder Improvement Program to ensure that unsafe cylinders will be immediately removed from circulation and replaced with new ones to significantly lessen LPG-related explosions and fires.

The DOE is the primary agency tasked to implement the law. Activities such as these Summits are significant wherein regulation, supervision, and monitoring of the LPG and all industry participants are crucial given the wide use of LPG for various purposes, including heating, lighting, daily cooking, and even for motor vehicles.