Check those pumping
machines properly

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The report that the city is seriously looking into the operations of gasoline stations should be very welcome to all residents of Bacolod, and not only to operators of transportation companies, and motorists.

It was announced recently that the Bacolod City government, through a group led by the vice mayor, will initiate random inspections of all gasoline stations. These are believed necessary and actually called for at this time when fuel prices are skyrocketing, and price increases continue to terrorize the community.

The task force created to do this job is supposed to find out if the pumping machines used by suppliers of this very indispensable commodity are properly calibrated so that they deliver to buyers the correct amounts of fuel that they are paying for.

So far, the team has reportedly discovered, after checking on six gas stations, that one of them has two dispensing pumps that were not calibrated accurately. This means that, somehow, customers of this station are being shortchanged, and deprived of the correct amount of fuel they buy.

How many more will the task force discover, if they continue doing their job that assures consumers of getting their money’s worth when they purchase gasoline or any kind of fuel from these stations? The task force has warned that they will impose sanctions on those found with improper calibration and, hopefully, this will prod the rest to re-calibrate their own machines now.

But the City Hall team on the job must have the political will to impose the threatened sanctions. Just going around, peering into the pumping machines and wagging their fingers at the violators will not do at all. They have to show their teeth, so that the people will not think they have the authority, but are actually toothless.*