Gov't shouldn't take over the oil industry!

There is no question that our nation is besieged with problems, many of which are often man-made. Take the case of the problems we are having with the Oil Industry. It was doing fine since the enactment of the Oil Deregulation Law, until we in Cebu discovered that our fuel prices was so much more than the pump prices in Metro Manila or even in Davao. But instead of looking into this problem, the Department of Energy (DoE) under Sec. Angelo Reyes took the side of the Big 3 Oil firms.

The problems we’re having with the Oil Industry suddenly took a turn for the worse when, after the heels of two Tropical Storms, “Ondoy” and “Pepeng”, the government had to put a freeze in the prices of basic commodities, including the prices of fuel. Now, the Big 3 Oil firms are complaining that this freeze could result in a shortage of fuel as these companies would not be buying oil products at a particular price then selling them at a loss, thanks to the oil price freeze.

Instead of looking more closely at the problems plaguing our Oil Industry, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Minority Leader Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago urged the Arroyo Administration to immediately take over the Oil Industry so it could handle the importation of oil and protect the interest of the Filipino people. Whoa! Wait a minute folks, not so fast! Taking over the Oil Industry at this time is unproductive as it’s no guarantee that the Philippine government can purchase fuel at lesser cost. Knowing how government operates, it would bloat the bureaucracy and end up selling oil at even higher rates!

There is no question that government should not be doing what the private sector can do better. For instance, all that we in Cebu need to know is a simple accounting from the Big 3 Oil firms as to why should our fuel cost at the pump be higher than Metro Manila’s or anywhere else in the Philippines. The problem with our Senators is that they have begun to believe that they are mightier than God where they can do no wrong. They ought to be reminded that the Philippines, despite the discovery of oil in Malampaya, is not an oil-producing nation. We are at the mercy of the law of supply and demand, a law that our Senators cannot hope to amend or review.

With the oil price freeze, it is clear that the oil companies would rather postpone buying refined oil, until they see a better business climate. This is what our Senators should be looking into, rather than suggest something as drastic as the take over of the oil industry. That would be okay if the Philippines is an oil-producing nation. But it’s not!

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Since my first cousins are the Cañizares family of Cebu, I’ve been asked whether Mr. Gabriel Cañizares the public school principal in Kanague Elementary School who was beheaded in Patikul, Sulu is related to them. I don’t think they are. No question, we have barbarians within our midst. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) whose soldiers have also been beheaded in the past should not rest until the perpetrators of this crime are hunted down and brought to justice.

There have been a lot of calls for peace talks in Muslim Mindanao. I’m all for peace, as in the Beatitudes, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” However, peace can never be achieved if one side refuses to heed the call to peace. This is why I have always believed that peace can never be achieved in Mindanao for as long as armed groups never disarm.

If indeed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) or the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) truly wants peace then they should put down their arms and sit in the conference table. For as long as they refuse to lay down their arms, this refusal will be taken as insincerity on their part. In Ireland the IRA agreed to lay down their arms and now they have peace!

This main problem that is endemic in this country is the fact that there is a dual standard in the enforcement of our laws. Bring an unlicensed firearm here in Cebu and I can guarantee that you will be arrested and imprisoned. But in Mindanao, armed groups brandish AK-47s and Rocket Propelled Grenades in public view and they get away thumbing their fingers against the laws of this country!

In May 2010, we will once more be electing the new leader of this country. It’s about time we elect a leader who has a plan to put in place a final and permanent solution to the problems plaguing Muslim Mindanao. As far as I know, amongst the leading presidentiables, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has no damn idea how to solve the Muslim problem as this is not his expertise. So we have to look for a leader who can help Mindanao.

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