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AFTER
their soft approach failed anew, legislators have now
required Shell, Chevron and Petron to present
information and data on their pricing mechanisms,
procurement costs, sources of their supplies and other
pertinent particulars.
The
House Committee on Energy, at a hearing on Tuesday,
immediately approved the motion for the so-called oil
Big Three to obey the committee after the House body
once again failed to squeeze out from the oil firms’
representatives information on their pricing mechanisms
and other data.
Of the
representatives of the three companies, only Ed Canapi
of Shell managed to conduct a presentation but this did
not satisfy legislators, who called the presentation
“self-serving.”
“The
presentation did not give substantial details. That is
why we’ve come up with a formal motion to require them
to present the data that we require,” said Party-list
Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna, a member of the House
energy panel.
“We’re
merely scratching the surface at this point. We are
still stuck on the [lack of] data,” added Casiño.
During
the hearing, legislators wondered why the order of
Malacañang to audit the Big Three was put in the back
burner.
“The
problem is how and who will do it,” said Kabalikat ng
Malayang Pilipino Rep. Rodolfo Antonino of Nueva Ecija,
acting committee chairman, in answer to the question of
Independent Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque and Pwersa ng
Masang Pilipino-United Opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez
of Cagayan de Oro.
“The
Commission on Audit [COA] cannot do it because these
[oil companies] are private companies,” said Antonino,
and suggested that perhaps the Bureau of Internal
Revenue could do the auditing.
Director
Zenaida Moncada of the Department of Energy said the
department cannot do the audit and suggested the Energy
Regulation Commission as the agency that has the
responsibility of determining if the companies are
following the rules.
Golez
said the oil companies, if they are not hiding anything,
must submit themselves voluntarily to auditing. “That’s
why we are calling for them to submit themselves
voluntarily to show that they have nothing to hide and
their prices are above board.” |
