A gasoline station in Barangay Mansilingan, Bacolod City lost gasoline worth P500 to a motorist who deliberately evaded payment.

Based on CCTV footage from the station, an attendant is seen loading gas to a white sports utility vehicle. However, instead of paying, the driver drove away fast from the gas station.

Christine Llanes, administrative officer of the gas station, said they did not expect the motorist to do that because the motorist looked decent.

Now, the gas station is considering letting motorists pay first before giving them gas.

“Parang okay naman raw ang mukha niya kaya hindi kami nag-expect. Mas okay siguro na magbayad sila muna bago magpa-gas,” she said.

The station manager, DJ Harold Cabo, said they tried to call the motorist out but the car just sped away.

“P500 lang naman ang pina-gas niya pero grabe ang ginawa niya. Tinawag namin pero mabilis ang takbo niya. Tinakasan niya talaga kami,” he said.

He could not help but feel sorry for what happened.

“Maawa naman kayo sa amin. Magkano lang naman ang sahod namin dito. Sana maawa naman kayo,” he said.

Because the attendant is new, the gas station decided not to deduct the P500 from his salary.

The police have coordinated with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to find the driver. LTO has started tracking the vehicle based on the plate number captured in the CCTV footage.

What happened in Bacolod is one of similar incidents in different parts of the country in what appears like a desperate attempt for motorists to gas up amid the skyrocketing prices of fuel triggered by the tensions in the Middle East.