Cusi won’t resign, gets Duterte support in Malampaya issue

MANILA, Philippines — Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said he will not resign amid the accusations hurled against him in connection with the alleged railroaded approval of the sale of shares in the Malampaya gas project.

“I would like to assure the public that I remain committed to discharging my duties as secretary of energy to the best of my abilities. Especially now that there is a proper venue to explain and prove that all of the actions of the Department of Energy (DOE) regarding the sale and transfer of shares of Malampaya are legal, aboveboard and in accordance with the powers and mandate of the department,” the energy chief said.

“I am elated that this matter may now be brought before the proper legal forum where evidence, logic and reason are used as bases for determining whether or not an irregularity has been committed,” Cusi said.

President Duterte yesterday defended Cusi and the Malampaya deal, slamming the “political antics… political intrigues and innuendoes” of some members of the Senate.

In a statement last night, Duterte said: “I view with grave concern an apparent effort at the Senate to put in bad light recent developments involving the Malampaya Gas Field. This casts undue, undeserved, and unwanted asperson on the part of some of our key government officials. This is grossly unfair to them and to the public.”

He said he had seen the report on the sale and he “is convinced” that it was a private transaction “that must be respected.”

“I am likewise convinced that, in this case, the national interest has been protected and the rights of the government remain intact,” he added.

The President said Cusi “has my full trust and confidence and shall remain at the helm of the department that he heads,” Duterte said.

He reiterated that the Malampaya issue has been politicized by those whose business interests must have been put in jeopardy. He also alleged that the Senate hearing has “sought to undermine the DOE’s ability to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the proposal covering the said sale of shares.”

Despite the issues, Cusi said Service Contract 38 or the Malampaya Deep Water Gas to Power project “continues to operate seamlessly and optimally despite the sale of shares.”

Senate report goes to ombudsman

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday urged the Office of the Ombudsman to formally investigate and file the appropriate charges against Cusi and other DOE officials over the Malampaya deal.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, yesterday transmitted his Chairman’s Report to the anti-graft body.

It also included a Senate resolution recommending the filing of criminal and administrative charges against Cusi and others for supposedly violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct.

The recommendation was in connection with the DOE’s allegedly railroaded approval of the sale of 45 percent interest in the Malampaya gas project of Chevron Malampaya LLC Philippines to UC Malampaya, an indirect subsidiary of Udenna Corp., a company owned by Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy, who was the biggest financial contributor of President Duterte during the 2016 elections.

“Our call to the ombudsman is to immediately investigate the deal and file the necessary cases. The senators are one in saying that the ombudsman must pursue cases against Secretary Cusi and his fellow officials in the DOE,” Gatchalian said, adding that 18 senators signed the resolution while four abstained.

In a privilege speech last Wednesday, Gatchalian said that the extensive hearings of the Senate committee on energy revealed several irregularities in the DOE’s approval of the $565-million or P40-billion Chevron-UC Malampaya deal. –  Alexis Romero, Eli-zabeth Marcelo, Helen Flores