Department of Public Services officer-in-charge Nelson Sedillo denied having ordered the garbage trucks to barricade the Total Gas Station in Mabini Street, Bacolod City yesterday morning after its owner refused to allow them to withdraw gasoline.

However, Sedillo, said that when he arrived at the gasoline station yesterday morning, the dump trucks were already there because it was their schedule to gas up. He did not order them to barricade the gasoline station, he said.

Total Gas Station proprietress Leah Grancho claimed in an interview over ABS-CBN, that Sedillo had instructed the drivers of the dump trucks to enter the premises of the gasoline station after she refused to let them withdraw gasoline.

Sedillo said they were only advised by the owner of the gasoline station that they will not be allowed to withdraw gasoline yesterday morning. Had they been informed the night before, he would not have issued the drivers of the dump trucks receipts to withdraw gasoline, he said, in the TV interview.

Grancho requested Executive Assistant Jose Villanueva, who arrived at the gasoline station yesterday, that the city should issue a purchase order first before the dump trucks can withdraw gasoline.

She said they decided to cut off the gasoline supply of the DPS yesterday since the city has old accounts that were not yet settled. A City Hall source said Sedillo may have thought that city officials had made arrangements with the gas station owner for the withdrawal of gasoline for the garbage trucks.

It also said Sedillo only realized later that a check payment and a purchase order for Total Gas Station had not been released yet although what he waited to accomplish then was simply to have the trucks gassed up so they could collect garbage.*CGS

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