Gasoline Stations in the Philippines

A. Definition:
Gasoline Station - is the generic term for all source points of petroleum fuel. This may
be a fuel pump in a bus terminal, motor pool, garage, or a curb pump or a retail filling
station. Virtually, all source points of petroleum fuel where motorists come to buy fuel is
a gasoline station. A gasoline station with service facilities (i.e. lubrication bay and
wash bay) in addition to refuel facility is called a service station. Convenience, therefore
is the key word. The retail marketing industry of petroleum products actually began in the
early days using a solidary curb pump in general stores (supermarkets), which are
usually unattended. As automobiles grew in number, the solidary curb pump caused
congestion and inconvenience to motorists. Thus, started the growth of filling stations as
oil companies began to build independent filling stations to address the growing needs of
motorists. When demand for lubrication and various automobile services grew, the
gasoline filling station further evolved to a service station. The gasoline station has
evolved to what it is today, to conveniently provide motorists with their frequent
needs—fuel and lubricants.

B. Requirements for a Gasoline Station/s:

According to Department of Energy, based on the Notice of Reportorial Requirement

Pursuant To Republic Act 8479 (Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act Of 1998), the
following are the requirements for conducting or building a Gasoline Station:

 Business name, address, telephone/ fax number

 Project or business plan indicating the scope of operation/activity
 List of facilities and proof of availability of such facilities to support the proposed
business (such as sevice bay, car wash, air, water and a toilet open for the
public)
 Business permits such as Mayor’s permit, Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC)/Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) registration
 Building Permit
 Locational/Zoning clearance
 Other local government permits/clearances
 Fire Safety Inspection
 Certificate of Facilities
 Certificate of conformed of facilities to national or accepted international
standards on health, safety and environment
 Product Certificate of Quality Environment Compliance Certificate issued by the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental
 Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), or certificate of Non-Coverage
 List of dispensing pumps and underground tanks with the corresponding
capacities and products stored

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C. Planning for Making a Gasoline Station (Guidelines/Design Considerations):

There are several guidelines that is essential in planning a gasoline station prior here in
the Philippines. This includes the following:
 Locate building structures (such as car washes, convenience stores, and
canopies) close to the street to help define the street edge
 Provide ample landscaping, in combination with building orientation, to enhance
the streetscape and define the street edge when setting building structures back
from the street is unavoidable.
 Design all sides of buildings and pump islands with a consistent architectural
style to enhance the streetscape
 Provide transparent windows and doors for retail buildings to ensure visibility
between the store, the pump islands and surrounding streets.
 Locate vehicular access points to the site as far away as possible from street
intersections.
 Locate stacking lanes away from adjacent sensitive uses, such as residential and
outdoor amenity areas, to reduce the impacts of noise and pollution that could be
caused by stacking cars on such uses. Use landscaping and fencing to help
buffer potential impacts.
 Locate access points for stacking lanes away from public streets and driveways
so that queued vehicles do not block the traffic along public streets or the
movement of other vehicles on site
 Provide escape lanes and the appropriate number of queuing spaces as required
by the Zoning By-law to create efficient stacking lanes and to minimize on-site
conflicts
 Provide only the minimum number of required parking spaces required by the
Zoning By-law.
 Plant street trees between 7.0 and 10.0 metres apart along public streets. Plant
trees in permeable surface areas, with approximately 10.0 square metre of soil
area per tree.
 Select trees, shrubs and other vegetation considering their tolerance to urban
conditions, such as road salt or heat. Give preference to native species of the
region that are of equal suitability.
 Protect and feature heritage, specimen and mature trees on site by minimizing
grade changes and preserving permeable surfaces.
 Use pavement markings and directional signage to enhance clarity and ease of
movement patterns on site.
 Design buildings to include defined spaces to accommodate signs that respect
building scale, architectural features, signage uniformity and established
streetscape design objectives.
 Design sign illumination to be task-oriented and avoid glare/light spill over toward
adjacent land uses.
 Design garbage enclosures that are external to the building with the same
materials as the building and ensure that the wall height is sufficient to
completely conceal garbage dumpsters.

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D. Example Arch’l Plan of a Gasoline Station:

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E. Summary of Fixtures included in a Gasoline Station:

Name Picture Description

Canopy surface mount LED
fixtures provide the
brightness needed to
make your fuel bays more
inviting and secure.
Parking Lot supply light poles and
brackets for parking lot
lighting.

Convenient Store provide a welcoming

shopping experience and
makes your visitors feel
more comfortable.
Building Perimeter Provide wall packs and
security lighting to keep
your entire property lit.

Car Wash Contains equipment for

washing cars or other
vehicles automatically.

Comfort Rooms All stop stations including

Gasoline stations must
provide a public comfort
room in accordance to the
law.
Fuel Dispenser a service station that
draws gasoline from
underground storage
tanks. gasoline pump,
island dispenser, petrol
pump. pump - a
mechanical device that
moves fluid or gas by
pressure or suction.
Air and Water Air and water is essential
in a gasoline station for
the costumers to be able
to pump, clean and
freshen their vehicles
along the way.

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F. Philippines Gas Stations (Examples):

a.) RePhil Gasoline Station (J.P. Rizal, J. P. Rizal Street, Sto. Nino, Marikina, Metro
Manila)

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i.) Observations
 No convenient store Available
 No Landscapes or even plant boxes
 No available comfort room for the public because it is close.
 The front part of the comfort room is filled with trash and soil.
 They’ve provided trash bins that can be segregated
 There is a space behind the trash bin that is filled with cartons and
some trashes.
 Some lights at the canopy is broken
 There are no proper entry ways and exits
 Sometimes, when there’s a lot of vehicles entering the gas station
it tends to have traffic in the streets.
 The Station is located at the end of the street within the 2 sides of
another main road. With a small size of its dimension, traffic will
surely occur when vehicles enter simultaneously.
 There’s a lot of spills in the ground
 Not enough space within the two Fuel Dispenser
 They didn’t provide space for air and water.
 Unused Space that can be for a Convenient Store is closed.
 They provide an office safe for transactions and other employee
lounge.
 There is at least trees in the sidewalks near the Gasoline Station.
 The ramp is high enough for the vehicles to easily access the Gas
Station.
 There’s enough CCTV for the Lot
 A lot of fuel dispenser that makes the whole station a bit narrow.
 The underground Tank is too exposed and has an upper Node that
can trip a person.
ii.) Suggested Development/ Design Consideration
Based on the observations that I noticed in the site or Gas Station,
It seems that the place is too dull, that is why I suggested to at least
make them provide enough landscaping like a plant box. Gas
station should at least have Air and Water portion of the station
because that is more necessary other than refilling gas. Another
thing is the spaces between the Gas Pit. It seems narrow when two
vehicles are parked. I suggest they could lessen the gas pits to
widen the parking space since it’s already enough. But
considering with the space, they should at least have only 3 or 4
gas pits instead of 5. And lastly the lighting should be enough in
the canopy and be repaired as soon as possible if it is broken.
They should also use energy efficient type of light like LED for a
sustainable building/structure.

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b.) Petron Gasoline Station (Gen Luna St. Guitnang Bayan, San Mateo Rizal)

i.) Observations
 No proper façade.
 Gas tanks are stored in an improper place.
 The air in the ‘air and water station’ is not properly functioning.
 The spacing between each fuel dispenser is wide enough for 2
parallel vehicles.
 There is no convenient store.
 The Electrical Wirings in front of the Station is so many and tangled
 The Right side of the canopy is rusted and shattered.
 The Station doesn’t provide any landscaping.
 There is an unused space behind the station.
 The ground gets dark due to the underground tank.

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  Some trashes and junks are placed on the sides of the station.
 There is no car wash available.
 They’ve provided a service station
 A lot of flammable materials are scattered behind the station.
 The canal on the sides of the gas station is not covered where
trashes can be easily thrown right away.
 The location of the site is not properly planned because there are
houses behind the Gas Station.
 According to some residents living behind the Gas Station, they
often smell the fuel from their bedroom which is not safe because
those fuels contains harmful ingredients.
 There is no entryway and exits available but there’s enough space
for vehicles for them to not cause any traffic.
 The Ceiling of the Canopy provides enough Lighting and also
provided an exhaust
 Not enough security like CCTV cameras.
ii.) Suggested Developments/ Design Consideration
Just like on the first example, they must at least provide a
landscape since the place is wide enough for putting decors and
for it to have a sustainable and fresh environment. When it comes
to the underground tanks, they should be able to hide it or lock it
properly so that no fuel scent will reach the residence area. The air
and water station must be enough and accessible. They should at
least provide a convenient store and car wash or maintenance
area just like any other petron station in other places. When it
comes to sustainability, every public place like this must provide
Trash bins. It would be much better if they have a designated bins
like biodegradable and non- biodegradable trash bins. And
lastly, maintain the structure’s ceiling or in this matter, the canopy
because if the canopy looks rusted and broken, there would be
leakage. It also serves as a shade for everything and everyone that
is why the canopy should be well fixed and wide enough for
shading.

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Reference:
https://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/occ/2006/05-
24/pec/Gas%20Stations%20_May_small.pdf

https://www.smartdraw.com/store-layout/examples/gas-station-layout/

http://twatome.blogspot.com/2012/09/design-gas-station-with-convenience.html

https://en.censtar.com/products/Gas-Station-Complete-Solution.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjYHpBRC4ARIsAI-
3GkGrS-LXVcv1cI5zeGRAkbg1qihRgdZT1T1-FFAmnmbu58wIZKNObB4aAn0oEALw_wcB

http://www.negosyobuilder.com/how-to-start-an-oil-business-in-the-philippines-opportunities-from-
the-big-3/