Seaoil asks DOJ to probe oil pilferage in Visayas

Independent oil player Seaoil Philippines Inc. wants the Department of Justice to investigate the alleged theft of several thousand liters of gasoline along the Cebu-Zamboanga del Norte shipping lane last year. On Tuesday, lawyers of Seaoil and Ocean Tankers Corp., which supervises the oil firm's vessels, filed a criminal complaint against 13 crewmembers manning the oil firm's Barge 811 and Tugboat "Mark Anthony." The tugboat was used to pull the barge. The crew was supposedly engaged in pa-ihi, a modus operandi where oil is siphoned off a cargo vessel and sold in the black market. Respondents to the case were Sunny Boy Regolis, Leomar Tecon, Alberto Galos Jr., Noel de Leon, Jose Sison Jr., Jeffrey Magalonga, Roger Guzman, Jose Sianson, Ernesto Galino, Bernie Gamarcha, Isabelito Sancho Jr., Rusel Acut, and Melvin Nacional. Seaoil and Ocean Tankers cited the testimony of witness Jerson Reyes, who was among the crew manning the barge. Reyes claimed that on Oct. 13, 2009, Barge 811 left its Mandaluyong City dock for Cebu, carrying about 650,000 cubic liters of unleaded gasoline valued at P26 million. Off Masbate shores, Reyes claimed he saw and heard Regolis call De Leon "and discussed his plan to steal and sell fuel in the barge through an operation commonly known as pa-ihi." "Approximately 20 drums were filled in just a few minutes," according to the Seaoil complaint-affidavit. The alleged pilferage of thousands of liters of fuel occurred several instances later as the barge was en route from Cebu to Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte and back. The respondents were also accused of dumping the gasoline into the sea. "While journeying from Dipolog to Cebu, the respondents expected to sell the unleaded gas to buyers who were supposed to meet them on their way to the Ludo depot. "But the buyer did not arrive despite hours of waiting. When the respondents sensed the buyers were absent, Regolis then ordered the dumping of 4,000 liters of gasoline [into the] open sea." Seaoil and Ocean Tanker asked the DOJ to file charges of "multiple, repeated violations" of Article 310 of the Revised Penal Code, Section 102 of Republic Act No. 8550, Section 4(a) of Presidential Decree No., and Section 5 of PD No. 600. These laws pertain to theft and robbery, marine pollution, and dumping of oil and other substances that harm the environment. —VS, GMNews.TV