Casiño bats for oil regulation, buy Petron
2 MIN READ
By FRED DABU
www.nordis.net
QUEZON CITY — Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Teddy Casiño expressed solidarity with the jeepney operators and drivers under Piston who braved the rains to conduct transport strikes and protests in Metro Manila and key cities and provinces nationwide.
Casiño reiterated the need for Congress to respond to the popular demand to repeal the Downstream Oil Deregulation Act of 1998, re-imposing government regulation on the oil industry and renationalizing Petron Corporation.
“We call on the House, through the Committee on Energy headed by Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, to immediately pass House Bills 1724, 3029, 3030 and 3031 which were filed by the progressive party list bloc two years ago,” said Casiño.
Casiño said the re-imposition of government regulation on the oil industry and the buy-back of Petron Corporation are the only sure steps that have to be undertaken to effect immediate and long-term solutions to the perennial problem of fluctuating and questionable oil price increases.
“Itong mga panukalang isinusulong natin sa Kamara ang ating malinaw na solusyon sa kawalang-kakayanan ng gobyerno sa pagsawata sa pang-aabuso ng mga kartel ng langis (The measures we are pushing for in Congress are our clear solution to address government’s failure to check on the abuses of the oil cartel.),” said Casiño.
“With the passage of these bills, we will not have the spectacle of the Energy and NEDA secretaries quarreling in public as to who has the correct figures because the oil companies will be required by law to make public and justify their pricing schemes,” he said.
HB 1724, an Act Repealing Republic Act No. 8479, also known as the Downstream Oil Deregulation Act of 1998; HB 3029, an Act Regulating the Downstream Petroleum Industry and for Other Related Purposes; HB 3030, an Act Instituting Centralized Procurement of Petroleum in the Country; and HB 3031, an Act Renationalizing Petron Corporation are still pending in the committees with which these were referred by the House Committee on Rules.
Casiño also expressed hope that more commuters would support the transport strike and the moves to regulate the oil industry to resolve the intertwined problems on oil pricing, procurement, and fares.
“Sana ay lalong dumami ang mga mananakay na sumusuporta sa protestang ito at lalo pa nilang suportahan ang mga panukalang makakalutas sa magkakaugnay na suliraning ito,” (I hope more commuters support this protest and support the proposals that seek to solve these problems) Casiño said. # nordis.net
