Petron Wack-Wack to face sanctions if found violating safety rules

The fire lasted for about half an hour, reportedly hurting three people and causing heavy reoad traffic in the process. (Photo: Wack Wack Petron Service Station/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Energy (DOE) said it would penalize the management of the Petron gasoline station in Barangay Wack-Wack in Mandaluyong City if proven that the branch violated safety rules after a fire razed the station on Friday afternoon.

“The DOE will not hesitate to impose sanctions on the violations of safety standards based on the Retail Rules and the Code of Safety Practice,” the energy department said in a statement Saturday.

In coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection, the DOE is investigating the fire incident for possible violations of safety standards and practice.

The DOE said Oil Management Bureau Director Rino Abad had immediately dispatched a technical team to look into the cause of the fire “for possible violations of existing rules and to avoid similar incidents from happening again.”

“Based on its initial findings and in order to ensure the protection of the consumers and the public, the DOE technical team recommended the immediate revocation of the Certificate of Compliance (COC) of the gasoline station. The revocation of the COC results in the non-operation of the retail outlet until it fully complies with DOE’s Retail Rules,” the DOE statement said.

The fire lasted for about half an hour, reportedly hurting three people and causing heavy road traffic in the process.

Upon the completion of the investigation, the DOE technical team will issue a final report on the incident, the department said.