6 arrested for oil pilferage in Laguna resort hotel —PNP

Six individuals were arrested for alleged oil pilferage inside a hotel and resort compound in Barangay San Antonio 1, San Pablo City, Laguna on Wednesday morning, the Philippine National Police said.

In a statement, the PNP said authorities used alternative recording devices and a drone to catch the suspects in the act of dispensing, short-selling, hoarding, and adulterating petroleum products.

Two of the suspects sustained injuries after jumping from the top of the tanker during the operation and were brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

Recovered from the scene were:

• an orange oil tanker containing about 500 liters of petroleum
• 54 square tanks filled with fuel
• five electric pumps
• around 20 feet of pressure hoses
• seven steel drums
• a steel funnel
• 21 empty 25-liter containers

All seized items were marked and turned over to authorities for proper disposition and further investigation, according to the PNP.

“This operation underscores that tampering with petroleum products will not be tolerated. Protecting the supply for our communities is a top priority,” PNP chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.

“Sa gitna ng national energy emergency, walang sinuman ang dapat magbenta o mag-hoard ng langis para sa sariling kapakinabangan,” he added.

(In the midst of a national energy emergency, no one should sell or hoard oil for personal gain.) —AOL, GMA News