DOE blamed on gasoline woes

DAGUPAN, Pangasinan, , Philippines – The Department of Energy “mishandled” the freezing and subsequent unfreezing of oil prices following the series of typhoons which hit the country resulting in the declaration of a national emergency, businessman Joey de Venecia III said in a talk with reporters the other day.

“The government should have done everything possible to keep the prices of oil and petroleum products down in the weeks following Ondoy and Pepeng,” De Venecia said. Immediately after the government lifted EO 839 which froze oil prices, the pump prices of diesel, gasoline and all petroleum products rose by anywhere from P1.50 to P2 per liter to the detriment of Filipino consumers he said. The young De Venecia put the blame on Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes who he said, “could have done better.”

In the most trying times, creative solutions are most needed, according to the son and namesake of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. “Whether in the private or public sector, the best managers and executives are those who think outside the box. They are the ones who can ride out a storm with aplomb.”

Reyes offered nothing new to the public, he added. He offered “clerical and mechanical” solutions, De Venecia said.

The ZTE-national broadband network whistleblower said the government could have worked with the oil companies to find ways to cut their operating costs in order to protect their profit margins.        – Jun Elias