THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said it expanded its fuel marking operations to 10 revenue regions to step up its enforcement efforts against the illicit fuel trade.
In a statement on Monday, the BIR said it had tested 189 fuel stations as of Oct. 13.
“Of those tested, 111 passed the field tests while 78 recorded field failures, equivalent to 41.3% of all stations tested,” it said.
“Affected pumps were sealed from 78 establishments, with 900,250.69 liters of fuel inventory associated with failed field tests,” it added.
The expanded fuel marking operations covered the Camanava, Bulacan, City of Manila, Palawan, Quezon City, East National Capital Region (NCR), Makati City, South NCR, the Western Visayas, Negros Island, the Central Visayas, and the Eastern Visayas.
Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza said the BIR will continue tracing fuel sources identified in connection with failed station-level tests and conduct testing at fuel depots.
He clarified that identifying a fuel source linked to a failed station-level test does not automatically establish supplier non-compliance.
“We will pursue these findings thoroughly, but we must also be fair in our enforcement. Any finding of non-compliance must be supported by proper verification,” Mr. Mendoza said.
The operations form part of the BIR DARES reform agenda under the Revenue Collection and Base Protection program. — Justine Irish D. Tabile