Shooting the messenger
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago wants the head of Energy secretary Angelo Reyes because of his "lawyering" for the oil industry.
Santiago said Reyes’ statement that current oil stocks are good for only eight to 13 more days might turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"That is what Secretary Reyes predicted, so in effect he is helping make true what he has warned us against. Why is he lawyering for the oil firms?" Santiago asked.
"Why doesn’t he say, for example, ‘Once they do that - cut off the supply - we will do this or that under the law’? He was already warning us about this long ahead of its time and without devoting his energies to preparations should the event take place. In effect, he is just making a self-realizing prediction," Santiago said.
Santiago added the government has the power to take over oil companies and control distribution if they continue to resist the price imposed by Executive Order 839.
Santiago said the oil companies should follow EO 839 as the freeze oil price is only short term and not permanent.
"We have a genuine calamity or emergency to justify the take over those oil firms and control their distribution," said Santiago.
Sen. Mar Roxas said a conspiracy between the energy department and oil companies is again seemingly in the works to force the lifting of price cap.
"Malinaw na muli na namang nakikipagkutsabaan itong si Angie Reyes sa malalaking kumpanya ng langis upang lalong pahirapin ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan," Roxas said.
"Mabuti nga at naglagay ng price cap ang Malakanyang sa presyo ng langis dahil totoo namang sobrang taas na ng sinisingil nitong mga kumpanya ng langis na ito. Bakit imbes na ipaglaban ni Angie Reyes ang EO 839 sinasang-ayunan niya pa ang sinasabi nitong mga kumpanyang ito?" he said.
Rep. Roilo Golez said Reyes should commit the moral equivalent of "seppuku" (Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword) by resigning.
"This is gross negligence on his part and calls for his moral seppuku," he said. "Seppuku in Japan military history is the more popular term for hara-kiri. Reyes is a military figure, so I used seppuku to be more appropriate to his persona."
Golez said the normal inventory in the oil industry is between 50 to 60 days. He said Reyes, a former Armed Forces chief and defense secretary, should have known that 30 days is already a critical level.
Rep. Satur Ocampo (PL, Bayan Muna) challenged Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. to fast-track legislative efforts seeking to end the alleged abuses of the oil companies, including the repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998.
"The public is highly supportive of EO 839 and the imposition of oil price controls and it’s only the oil companies who are crying foul," he said.
Rep. Joel Maglunsod (PL, Anakpawis) said: "We cannot tolerate this Mafia-style blackmailing by oil companies. Cartel operations must stop."
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‘The message that the President is sending to her enemies is that while she has committed a series of mistakes, some of them criminal, a few more would not hurt her any further.’