MANILA, Philippines – Kinalampag ni House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan ang Department of Energy at Department of Justice na papanagutin at kasuhan ang mga nagpasimuno sa pagsirit ng halaga ng produktong petrolyo.
Iginiit ng kongresista na hindi makatarungan ang naging pagtaas ng presyo ng langis at aniya ang DOE at DOJ ay may kapangyarihan na aksyunan ang mga nasa likod nito na ngayon ay pinagdudusahan ng mamamayan.
“Under the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Law of 1998, a DOE–DOJ Task Force was established with specific investigative and enforcement powers to address excessive and unjustified increases in petroleum product prices. Through this task force, the two departments must take decisive and forceful action to safeguard consumers against potential pricing abuses, considering that we are now under a state of national energy emergency.”
Binigyang diin ni Libanan na ang proteksyon ng mamamayan ang pangunahing inasyatiba ng pamahalaan sa gitna ng tumataas na presyo ng langis sa pandaigdigang merkado.
“Consumer protection must be paramount. Filipino families should not be made to bear the burden of unjustified fuel price increases, especially when global oil prices are already easing,” sinabi pa ni Libanan.
Samantala tinuligsa ang mga lokal na kompanya ng langis dahil sa labis na pagsirit ng presyo nito, pananamantala at posibleng sabwatan kung kaya bigla at sunud-sunod ang pagtaas presyo ng produktong petrolyo.
Giit pa ni Libanan na sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 8479, ang gampanin ng DOE-DOJ Task Force bilang isang investigative at quasi-enforcement body ay:
· Conducts investigations into potential overpricing on its own initiative
· Receives and evaluates complaints on oil pricing and possible collusion
· Recommends or initiates legal action
· Supports enforcement
Aniya, “ Section 14 (d) of the law reads as follows, Any report from any person of an unreasonable rise in the prices of petroleum products shall be immediately acted upon. For this purpose, the creation of the DOE-DOJ Task Force is hereby mandated to determine within 30 days the merits of the report and initiate the necessary actions warranted under the circumstance; provided, that nothing herein shall prevent the said task force from investigating and/or filing the necessary complaint with the proper court or agency motu proprio.” (Meliza Maluntag)
