CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Saturday reported that it has marked 9 billion liters of fuel equivalent to P118 billion in duties and taxes for the first semester of 2022.

The BOC also said the total marked gasoline, diesel, and kerosene from September 2019 to June 2022 were 43.65 billion liters.

The total marked fuel for that period is equivalent to P432.3 billion in duties and taxes.

Diesel comprises 60.59 percent of the total volume marked, followed by gasoline with 38.9 percent, and kerosene with 0.51 percent of marked volume.

As to the location, 73.88 percent of the marking was in Luzon, 20.66 percent in Mindanao, and 5.47 percent in the Visayas.

The markers serve as identifiers during field testing to determine the presence of illicit fuel in the market.

Meanwhile, the BOC and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) have seized a total of 111,157.80 liters of diesel, 3,311 liters of kerosene, and 18,839 liters of gasoline.

They also seized two units of tank trucks carrying unmarked fuel with a total estimated value of P14.4 million.

On the other hand, tanks of 16 retail stations and four private companies where the BOC found these unmarked fuels were likewise sealed and recommended for filing of criminal cases.

The government's Fuel Marking Program aims to raise revenues while curbing fuel smuggling and leveling the playing field of the Philippine oil industry. (PIA-NCR)