Mikey warns oil firms not to take advantage of the recent calamities to raise prices
PAMPANGA Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo has warned oil companies not to take advantage of the recent calamities to raise the prices of their products.
Arroyo, chairman of the House committee on energy, said that while the oil industry has been deregulated, the law governing it “is not a blanket authority for oil firms to control the pump prices of petroleum products, especially during crises.”
“The oil deregulation law should not be mistaken for a fool-proof device which oil companies can use to take advantage of the market situation especially in times of calamities or crises,” he said.
The congressman said he was proposing the creation of “special mechanisms” not only to ensure that oil firms will not be able “to exploit the situation in times like this but also for the government to be able to manage oil prices in calamity-stricken areas.”
Arroyo made the proposal during the latest Legislative and Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting at Malacañang where, he said, he briefed Trade Secretary Peter Favila on his plan.
Favila, he said, was “amenable to the idea.”
Prior to the LEDAC meeting, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes was chided by lawmakers for allegedly “lawyering” for oil companies when he reportedly insisted that the government cannot impose a ceiling on prices of oil products.
His argument statements prompted Representatives Eduardo Nonato Joson of Nueva Ecija and Joel Maglunsod of the party-list Anakpawis to call for his resignation.
Maglunsod dared Reyes to immediately vacate his office, claiming that the Department of Energy committed “grave violations” after it failed to execute its mandate in monitoring oil companies which implemented oil price hikes even when the country was reeling from the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng.
Arroyo said he will schedule a dialogue between players in the oil industry and the concerned government agencies to tackle his proposal and how “the mechanisms will work.”
Arroyo also warned unscrupulous businessmen “not to exploit the situation” and take heed of the government’s efforts to stop anyone from taking advantage of the “worst calamities the country has experienced in decades.” Raul S. Beltran
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