The days of hoarders of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are numbered.

The House of Representatives recently approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to impose stiffer penalties against dealers who hoard or refuse to sell LPG to the general public.

The proposed LPG Act of 2009, under House Bill (HB) 5942, aims to regulate the LPG industry and at the same time prevent a shortage of cooking gas experienced earlier this year from happening again. The measure, principally authored by Reps. Juan Miguel Arroyo of Pampanga and Rodolfo Plaza of Agusan del Sur, sets a penalty of six months to two years imprisonment and a fine of up to P1 million against LPG hoarders and profiteers.

Under the bill, hoarding is committed when a business establishment stores a huge volume of LPG or has 50 percent more than his usual inventory and unreasonably limits or refuse to sell them to the public.

Aside from setting stiffer penalties, the bill also seeks to safeguard the public against “other prohibited acts” of LPG dealers that are “inimical to the health and safety” of the general public.

The measure penalizes importation of used or second hand LPG cylinders and illegal refilling.