LPG Dealers Association and Total Gaz LPG Dealers Association v. Nena C.

Ang,
G.R. no. 199371, Feb. 3, 2016
Facts: Petitioners Petron LPG Dealers Association and Total Gaz LPG Dealers Association, together with other liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG) associations, filed a letter-complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation-Ilocos Regional Office (NBI-IRO), requesting
assistance in the surveillance, investigation, apprehension and prosecution of respondents Nena C. Ang, et al , and National Petroleum
Corporation (Nation Gas) for alleged illegal trading of LPG products and/or underfilling, possession and/or sale of underfilled LPG products
in violation of Sections 2 (a) and (c), in relation to Sections 3 and 4 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 335 as amended by Presidential Decree No. 18656
(BP 33, as amended), which provide -

Section 2. Prohibited Acts. - The following acts are prohibited and penalized:

(a) Illegal trading in petroleum and/or petroleum products;

(c) Underdelivery or underfilling beyond authorized limits in the sale of petroleum products or possession of underfilled liquefied
petroleum gas cylinder for the purpose of sale, distribution, transportation, exchange or barter;

Sec. 3. Definition of terms, For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall be construed to mean:

Illegal trading in petroleum and/or petroleum products -

(C) Refilling of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders without authority from said Bureau, or refilling of another company's or firm's cylinders
without such company's or firm's written authorization;

Sec. 4. Penalties. Any person who commits any act herein prohibited shall, upon conviction, be punished with a fine of not less than twenty
thousand pesos (P20,000) but not more than fifty thousand pesos (P50,000), or imprisonment of at least two (2) years but not more than
five (5) years, or both, in the discretion of the court. In cases of second and subsequent conviction under this Act, the penalty shall be both
fine and imprisonment as provided herein. Furthermore, the petroleum and/or petroleum products, subject matter of the illegal trading,
adulteration, shortselling, hoarding, overpricing or misuse, shall be forfeited in favor of the Government: Provided, That if the petroleum
and/or petroleum products have already been delivered and paid for, the offended party shall be indemnified twice the amount paid, and if
the seller who has not yet delivered has been fully paid, the price received shall be returned to the buyer with an additional amount
equivalent to such price; and in addition, if the offender is an oil company, marketer, distributor, refiller, dealer, sub-dealer and other retail
outlets, or hauler, the cancellation of his license.

In particular, respondents were alleged to be refilling Shellane, Gasul, Totalgaz, Starflame, and Superkalan Gaz LPG cylinders and selling,
distributing and transporting the same without the required written authorization from the alleged respective owners of these cylinders -
namely, Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Petron Gasul Corporation, Total (Philippines) Corporation, Caltex (Philippines)
Corporation (Caltex), and Superkalan Gaz Corporation. Acting on the letter-complaint, the NBI-IRO - through its agent Marvin de Jemil
(De Jemil) - conducted surveillance and test-buy operations.

Petitioners claim that respondents are engaged in the illegal trading and refilling of Shellane, Gasul, Totalgaz, Starflame, and Superkalan
Gaz LPG cylinders, as they were not authorized dealers or refillers of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Petron Gasul Corporation, Total
(Philippines) Corporation, Caltex, and Superkalan Gaz Corporation. Additionally, they accuse respondents of underfilling LPG cylinders. To
prove illegal trading and refilling, they presented written certifications to the effect that Nation Gas was not an authorized LPG refiller of
Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Petron Gasul Corporation, Total (Philippines) Corporation, Caltex, and Superkalan Gaz
Corporation. And to prove underfilling, they presented photographs as well as the results of an examination of the refilled Starflame LPG
cylinder obtained through De Jemil's test-buy.

Issue: Whether or not there is infringement involving the illegal trading and the unauthorized refilling of the LPG cylinders by
the respondents?

Ruling: The Court declared that what BP 33, as amended prohibits is the refilling and underfilling of a branded LPG cylinder by a refiller
who has no written authority from the brand owner; this proceeds from the principle that the LPG brand owner is deemed owner as well of
the duly embossed, stamped and marked LPG cylinders, even if these are in the possession of its customers or consumers. Such illegal
refilling/underfilling may be proved by: 1) conduct of surveillance operations; 2) the conduct of a test-buy; 3) written certifications from LPG
companies such as Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Petron Gasul Corporation, and Total (Philippines) Corporation detailing and
listing the entities duly authorized to deal in or refill their respective LPG cylinders, and excluding a particular LPG trader/refiller from the
lists contained in said certifications; and 4) the written report and findings on the test and examination of the test-buy cylinder.

Probable violation of Sec. 2 (a) of BP 33, as amended

First. The test-buy conducted on April 15, 2004 by the NBI agents, as attested to by their respective affidavits, tends to show that Omni
illegally refilled the eight branded LPG cylinders for PhP 1,582. This is a clear violation of Sec. 2 (a), in relation to Sec. 3 (c) and 4 of BP 33, as
amended. The criminal complaints, as clearly shown in the complaint-affidavits of Agent De Jemil, are not based solely on the seized items
pursuant to the search warrants but also on the test-buy earlier conducted by the NBI agents.
Second. The written certifications from Pilipinas Shell, Petron and Total show that Omni has no written authority to refill LPG cylinders,
embossed, marked or stamped Shellane, Petron Gasul, Totalgaz and Superkalan Gaz. In fact, petitioners neither dispute this nor claim mat
Omni has authority to refill these branded LPG cylinders.

Third. Belying petitioners' contention, the seized items during the service of the search warrants tend to show that Omni
illegally refilled branded LPG cylinders without authority. As petitioners strongly argue, even if the branded LPG cylinders were
indeed owned by customers, such fact does not authorize Omni to refill these branded LPG cylinders without written
authorization from the brand owners Pilipinas Shell, Petron[,] and Total.

In Yao, Sr. v. People, a case involving criminal infringement of property rights under Sec. 1.55 of RA 8293, in affirming the courts a
quo's determination of the presence of probable cause, this Court held that from Sec. 155.1 of RA 8293 can be gleaned that 'mere
unauthorized use of a container bearing a registered trademark in connection with the sale, distribution or advertising of goods
or services which is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among the buyers/consumers can be considered as
trademark infringement. The Court affirmed the presence of infringement involving the unauthorized sale of Gasul and
Shellane LPG cylinders and the unauthorized refilling of the same by Masagana Gas Corporation as duly attested to and
witnessed by NBI agents who conducted the surveillance and test-buys.

Similarly, in the instant case, the fact that Omni refilled various branded LPG cylinders even if owned by its customers but
without authority from brand owners Perron, Pilipinas Shell[,] and Total shows palpable violation of BP 33, as amended. As aptly
noted by the Court in Yao, Sr. v. People, only the duly authorized dealers and refillers of Shellane, Petron Gasul and, by extension,
Total may refill these branded LPG cylinders. Our laws sought to deter the pernicious practices of unscrupulous businessmen.

Fourth. The issue of ownership of the seized branded LPG cylinders is irrelevant and hence need no belaboring. BP 33, as amended, does
not require ownership of the branded LPG cylinders as a condition sine qua non for the commission of offenses involving petroleum and
petroleum products. Verily, the offense of refilling a branded LPG cylinder without the written consent of the brand owner constitutes the
offense regardless of the buyer or possessor of the branded LPG cylinder. After all, once a consumer buys a branded LPG cylinder from the
brand owner or its authorized dealer, said consumer is practically free to do what he pleases with the branded LPG cylinder. He can simply
store the cylinder once it is empty or he can even destroy it since he has paid a deposit for it which answers for the loss or cost of the empty
branded LPG cylinder. Given such fact, what the law manifestly prohibits is the refilling of a branded LPG cylinder by a refiller who has no
written authority from the brand owner, Apropos, a refiller cannot and ought not to refill branded LPG cylinders if it has no written
authority from the brand owner. Besides, persuasive are the opinions and pronouncements by the DOE: brand owners are deemed owners
of their duly embossed, stamped and marked LPG cylinders even if these are possessed by customers or consumers. The Court recognizes
this right pursuant to our laws, i.e., Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. Thus the issuance by the DOE [of] Circular No. 2000-05-
007, the letter-opinion dated December 9, 2004 of then DOE Secretary Vincent S. Perez addressed to Pilipinas Shell, the June 6, 2007 letter
of then DOE Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla to the LPGIA, and DOE Department Circular No. 2007-10-0007 on LPG Cylinder Ownership
and Obligations Related Thereto issued on October 13, 2007 by DOE Secretary Angelo T. Reyes.

Fifth. The ownership of the seized branded LPG cylinders, allegedly owned by Omni customers as petitioners adamantly profess, is of no
consequence. The law does not require that the property to be seized should 'be owned by the person against whom the search warrant is
directed. Ownership, therefore, is of no consequence, and it is sufficient that the person against whom the warrant is directed has control or
possession of the property sought to be seized. Petitioners cannot deny that the seized LPG cylinders were in the possession of Omni, found
as they were inside the Omni compound.

WHEREFORE, the Petition is GRANTED. The September 2, 2011 Decision and November 17, 2011 Resolution of the Court of Appeals in CA-
G.R. CV No. 89220 are REVERSED and SET ASIDE. The validity of Search Warrant Nos. 2005-59 and 2005-60 is SUSTAINED.

SO ORDERED.