Tinanggihan nitong Biyernes ni House Assistant Majority Leader at Cebu Representative Eduardo Gullas ang alok ni San Miguel Corporation chief executive Ramon Ang na ibenta muli sa gobyenro ang Petron Corp. sa pamamagitan ng limang taong installment payment.
“Thanks, but no thanks. Business tycoon Ramon Ang can keep Petron Corporation as Congress would never bankroll a government takeover of the country’s only oil refiner,” sabi ni Gullas sa isang press statement nitong Biyernes, Nob. 12.
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“We, in Congress, won’t allow the government to buy Petron back for the same reason that we won’t allow the state-run Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) to acquire Shell B.V.’s 45 percent operating stake in the Malampaya gas project,” dagdag ni Gullas.
Tinanggihan din ni Gullas ang pagbili ng gobyerno ng 45 percent operating stake ng Shell sa Malampaya gas project.
“The government neither has the money nor the operational flexibility to run extremely costly and inherently risky oil and gas undertakings that are best left to highly agile private corporations,” punto ni Gullas.
Ang Petron na may 18.6 percent na bahagi ng lokal na pamilihan ng petrolyo, ay nag-ulat ng net loss na P11.4 bilyong matapos bumagsak ang demand sa produktong petrolyo noong unang bugso ng COVID-19 pandemic noong 2020.
Bumawi na ang oil refining and marketing company, na nag-ulat ng net income nitong P5 bilyon mula Enero hanggang Setyembre ngayong taon.
“As to Malampaya, it is enough that the government is benefiting financially from the gas project without assuming any financial risks,”sabi ni Gullas na pinuntong tumatanggap ng 60 percent proceeds ang gobyerno mula sa petroleum operations ng Malampaya habang 40 percent ang napupunta sa mga contractor nito.
“Actually, on top of the government’s share, PNOC also gets a portion of the money that goes to the Malampaya contractors, because PNOC has a 10 percent stake in the service contract.”
Sinabi rin ni Gullas na dapat tutukan ng gobyenro ang pagbibigay ng pampublikong transportasyon.
“This is because sound transportation investments lower the costs of moving people and goods, improve productivity and foster long-term economic growth as well as jobs expansion,” ani Gullas.
Melvin Sarangay
