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By Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo Reporter
Fears of a fuel shortage surfaced
after the Bureau of Customs closed down the country’s fourth
largest oil depot on charges of tax delinquency.
In a press conference, Fernando
L. Martinez, Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association
(IPPCA) chairman, said the bureau’s recent takeover of the Oilink
International Depot in Mariveles, Bataan, would affect the operation
of independent oil distributors which use the depot to store their
products.
The bureau said Oilink, the
terminal’s operator, incurred tax arrears of about P27 million in
2004 that has risen to P353 million because of penalties.
“The closure of
Oilink’s depot facilities hampers the ability of IPPCA members and
nonmembers in servicing the requirements of their customers with
petroleum products which taxes have been duly paid for and have been
released by the proper authorities,” Martinez said.
The depot, which stores up to a
million barrels of oil a month, accounts for about 12 percent of the
country’s total requirements. The facility services the supply
needs of over 500 refilling stations across the country that are
mostly run by the small oil companies.
He warned that because of the
lock-up the group’s fuel supply could dry up in 10 to 15 days.
Although IPPCA may contract the lost supply from other sources, it
would take longer and entail additional costs that could jack up
fuel prices.
“Why are they doing this to us?
Is it because we’re only small companies?” Martinez said.
He said that while the
country’s big three oil companies had received similar assessments
from the Customs bureau amounting to billions of pesos, their
terminals were not closed down.
On July 26, Customs agents led by
Commissioner Napoleon Morales and backed up by police seized the
depot.
Also affected were companies
using the depot, including Cebu Pacific for jet fuel; Ginebra San
Miguel for alcohol; Yokohama for diesel; Total, Eastern Petroleum,
Flying V, Seaoil and Unioil for fuel oil; and Kajima for the asphalt
needs of the Subic-Clark highway.
Gil A. Valera, Oilink’s lawyer,
said the company had sought a temporary restraining order against
Customs bureau with the Court of Tax Appeals. Oilink has also filed
a damage suit against Morales for P1.5 million, he said.
The bureau said it would auction
the contents of the terminals on Thursday, when the 30-day deadline
for Oilink to pay up lapses.
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