Muralla cor Recoletos Sts. Intramuros, Manila 1002 PO BOX769

Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Did you know that there are more than 200 fuel vending machines nationwide, mainly in the coastal areas of Oriental Mindoro, Siargao and Panay?

These are machines that distribute fuel in response to "bote-bote" fuel sales in remote areas. (Bote-bote is the practice of selling fuel in liter bottles of soda in areas where there are no gas stations.)

I was surprised to find that the vending machines on Facebook advertise like investment products. It has a slot into which buyers can insert coins to buy fuel (gasoline or diesel), a hose for distributing fuel, and a drum under the dispenser for storing fuel.

Last October 6th, during the SPMJ forum, I learned more about fuel vending machines, from the resource spokesperson of the Department of Energy (DOE)-Assistant Director Rodela Romero and the head of the Department of Petroleum Retail Market Monitoring and Special Concern The Loralai R. Capistrano Industrial Administration-and the Philippine Petroleum Institute (PIP)-executive directors Raffy Capinpin and Ding Villamayor-discussed its safety issues.

(The Philippine Automobile Journalists Association (SPMJ), where I am the chairman, holds a forum on issues related to automobiles.)

The machine looks similar to a traditional fuel dispenser at a regular gas station. They are called "Technology Solutions Retail Store" or TSRO.

According to the revised retail rules of the Department of Energy (DOE Department Circular 2017 – 11 – 0011), these small shops are allowed to operate in order to provide fuel for the areas currently served by bote-bote.

TSRO is regulated by DOE, and DOE has issued strict operational guidelines for its safety and consumer issues. However, as of September 2021, DOE has only issued compliance certificates to seven TSROs. However, there are more than 200 such machines operating there.

Some rules in the same circular may indicate the status of TSRO operating without DOE certification:

"Should maintain a distance of one kilometer radius from another retail store; apart from the commercial facilities necessary for operation, no other commercial facilities should be installed/constructed in the retail store; vehicles under maintenance and vehicles transporting liquid fuel by tankers should always be in Within the business premises; the following places should maintain a back distance of one meter: the cash register or the distribution pump to the firewall; and, during the tanker supply operation, a working distance of one meter should be maintained from the tanker firewall."

For small business operations of fuel vending machines, whose customers are mainly tricycle drivers and agricultural machinery operators, strict regulations on the location and settings of TSRO may not be feasible.

But there is no reason to ignore safety.

At the SPMJ forum, Ms. Loralai R. Capistrano said that in June last year, the fuel vending machine exploded and caught fire. Two fuel vending machines made by different manufacturers exploded and caused a fire in a Barangay in Karapan city. The fire damaged nearby residential properties. Fortunately, no one was injured.

Mr. Capinpin, the executive director of PIP, expressed concern about TSRO's safety and urged government agencies to monitor it more closely.

However, the local government department where the fuel vending machine is located may prevent this problem. Every business operation requires a town or city permit to operate. Of course, local government departments know the sensitivity of the products that will be sold by those who apply to operate the fuel vending machine business.

The SPMJ Forum is a project led by Arnel Doria and committee members Belle Alba and Jenny Bleza Pineda.

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