Question & AnswerQ&A (BATAS PAMBANSA BLG. 33)
The declared policy of the State is to institutionalize energy conservation as a national way of life geared towards judicious and efficient use of energy to enhance availability of energy supplies to support economic, social, and developmental goals.
The prohibited acts include illegal trading in petroleum and/or petroleum products, hoarding of petroleum and/or petroleum products, overpricing in the sale of petroleum and/or petroleum products, misuse of petroleum allocations, speed contests and rallies involving motor vehicles or watercraft using petroleum fuels, and engaging in sky-diving and water-skiing.
It refers to the sale or distribution of petroleum products for profit without government license or authority, non-issuance of receipts by licensed traders, misrepresentation as to quality or quantity, and sales that violate government rules and regulations.
Hoarding is the undue accumulation by a trader of petroleum products beyond normal inventory levels or the unjustified refusal to sell or distribute to consumers; or the unreasonable accumulation by a person other than a trader.
Any person convicted shall be punished with a fine between Two Thousand Pesos (₱2,000) and Ten Thousand Pesos (₱10,000), or imprisonment of at least two months but not more than one year, or both, at the court's discretion.
In addition to fines or imprisonment, the petroleum products involved shall be forfeited to the government, and if the offender is a trader, their license shall be canceled.
They shall be perpetually disqualified from holding any public office.
The president, general manager, managing partner, or any officer charged with managing the business affairs of the corporation is criminally liable.
Trials must be terminated within thirty (30) days after arraignment.
Misuse of allocation means selling, transferring, or diverting mandated petroleum fuel allocations by oil companies, distributors, dealers, or consumers contrary to the intention of the government in making such allocations.