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Sen. Loren Legarda expressed frustration with the Department of Energy (DOE) after it allegedly blamed Congress for funding limitations of the Philippine National Oil Company in addressing the country’s oil situation amid the Middle East war. She made the statement during Senate's Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy (PROTECT) Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 24. (Video courtesy of Senate of the Philippines)

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00:00The congressional approval is needed based on the answer to the question of Senator Ontivero.
00:06So has it been communicated to both houses?
00:11I think a letter was submitted to the committee chairs, but it was a break.
00:20Because we were willing to go on special session.
00:24May we know, number one, no GAA funds needed.
00:28It's with PNOC and all it needed was congressional approval.
00:33And bicameral, ang dali naman. Isa lang na araw yan.
00:38May I know, kailan po binigay ng DOE sa Senado?
00:43Kailan natanggap yung sulat?
00:47Kailan binigay sa atensyon ng leadership at ng chair ng komite?
00:52May we know?
00:53I mean, this is what I mean. We act with urgency.
00:56See, it's not a matter of walang pondo.
00:59May pondo, it came from DOE's information, congressional approval.
01:05So it doesn't take too much if it's an urgent matter.
01:09We were able to pass the excise tax.
01:11And to be fair to the chair, kaagad nagtrabaho at napasa po namin.
01:15So kailan po ito?
01:19Yeah, PNOC is here, Mr. Chair.
01:22Initially, itong first two cargos actually, mayroong releasable fund ba si PNOC?
01:30That's why we bought the first cargo.
01:33And then there's a second cargo coming in.
01:35Ito po tinatanong yung ilang cargo.
01:38So simple question.
01:39If the DOE says that all it needs is congressional approval and the PNOC has the funds,
01:47and you said that the letters were sent because it is important that the people know
01:53that letters are not sitting in the Senate without action,
01:58we would know if there is a letter that is deemed urgent.
02:04Kasi wala ang inyong DOE secretary eh.
02:07Wala dito eh.
02:08And nandito siya last week.
02:10Sinabi ba niya sa chairman ng energy?
02:13Sinabi ba niya sa leadership sa Senado?
02:16Wala.
02:17Ang kanyang linalabi yung biofuel.
02:21Sinabi ba yan?
02:22Because this is so urgent.
02:24It did not come from us.
02:25It came from the DOE.
02:27May I just know the date?
02:29Sir, I know you're a technical person and you seem very knowledgeable.
02:33I just need to know, it's an admin matter.
02:37Can we kindly put on record, after this presentation, Mr. Chair, just bear with me,
02:41so that hindi ang itsura nakapending sa Senado,
02:45tapos sasabihin niyo, kasi po nag-break, excuse me,
02:49hindi po nag-break ang Senado na hindi ina-actionan ang hinihiling ng executive.
02:54Div.
02:55Dalawa ang inyong hiningi.
02:57Excise tax.
02:58Napasa namin.
02:59At sabihin niyo on the record, kailan niyo ma-implement yan.
03:02At ang gulo ninyo.
03:04Sinabi niyo, excise tax.
03:07Kailangan urgent.
03:08Nung napasa namin, sinabi, we will see.
03:11Yan.
03:11Galing sa inyo yan ha.
03:12Kung gagamitin.
03:14Tapos, the next day, o sige na nga.
03:16Ano ba?
03:17Ano ba?
03:18Kailangan ba?
03:19Hindi.
03:20It was deemed urgent.
03:21Napasa.
03:22Tapos, pagkapasa namin, we will see.
03:24I'm quoting the executive.
03:26Nang galing sa inyo yan.
03:27Tapos ngayon, gagawin na.
03:29And cite the impact.
03:31Mararamdaman pa.
03:32Yun ang sabi ng Chair noon ni Seno Tropia.
03:34Ano ang ramdam sa pagbaba o pagkaltas ng excise tax?
03:39Yung biofuel, maraming concern sa mga coconut and sugar farmers.
03:45Pero itong sinabi niyong low-hanging fruit, congressional approval.
03:49Tapos, nagsabi po kayo, sir, with all due respect, kasi po nag-break.
03:53Hindi po magandang pakinggan yan.
03:55Hindi po mag-break ang Senado kung sinabi niyong kailangan ng congressional approval
04:01ang paggamit ng PNOC ng kanilang pondo.
04:05Pakilagay po sa record after your presentation and we give a chance to the others, Mr. Chair.
04:11Because it's important na hindi tinuturo sa atin na nag-break tayo
04:15kaya ang PNOC hindi makagamit ng kanyang pera.
04:18That's unfair.
04:19Eh, ang secretary nga ninyo, wala dito eh.
04:23Kung anong pamamulitik ang ginagawa na naman ng secretary nyo.
04:26Break tayo session pero tuloy-tuloy pa ho yung aming hearing.
04:30At kung kailangan po mag-convene, ready naman po magkaroon ng special session at any time.
04:36So, it's important. When did you give the letter, ha?
04:39Kasi, alam nyo, hindi pwedeng tinuturo-turo nyo kami.
04:43Hindi nyo pwedeng sinasabi, makinig kayo.
04:46Huwag kayo nagpapalusot dito, ha?
04:48Sinasabi nyo, ah, yung letter nasa inyo eh.
04:51Tapos nag-break kayo.
04:53Double jeopardy. Hindi pwede yun.
04:55Sorry, hindi po kami papayag nun.
04:58Kung alam po namin, hindi kami mag-break, tama po ang chair.
05:01Kina mo nga, mag-break.
05:02Gusto nyo, Holy Week, magtrabaho tayo dito eh.
05:04Darating lahat ng secretary.
05:07Burn the midnight candle.
05:09Walang labasan sa kwarto.
05:10Hanggang hindi nakita ang pagtulong sa atang tao.
05:14Pero huwag nyo sasabihin na nag-break kami.
05:16Kaya hindi napasa yung hiniling ng DOE na congressional approval.
05:23Hindi po, sir.
05:24Hindi nyo kasalanan yun.
05:25Kasi wala ang inyong sekretarya.
05:30I can't think of anything more important than this hearing convened by the chair.
05:39And if the other cabinet members are here,
05:42why could the most important department not be present?
05:49Thank you, Mr. Chair.
05:50May I reiterate, Secretary Yusek Fentabella,
05:56na kung pwede naman ipagpaliba muna ni Secretary Garin yung kanyang mga meetings,
06:03tingin ko hanggang mamaya pa tayo dito.
06:05After her malakanyang meeting, mas magandang pumunta ho siya dito.
06:10Pakisabi nalang ho sa kanya.
06:13Pinadala niya sa akin yung mga schedule niya.
06:17Tingin ko naman, mas mahalagang makuusap niya ngayon ang taong bayan
06:22para marinig sa kanya mismo kung ano yung kanyang mga plano
06:26kung sakaling mawala talaga tayo ng langis.
06:30Okay.
06:33Go ahead.
06:35Can you...
06:36Okay.
06:37Apologies to your honors.
06:39Just to clarify,
06:41when it was mentioned that a letter was sent,
06:44it was for a future action.
06:48But we commend definitely the action of the Congress on what we requested.
06:53Now, when we saw that there is a need for us to shift,
06:56that is a further action.
06:59Pero na-trigger na naman po yung dati nating ginawa.
07:03And secondly, on this one,
07:05may nakita lang po kami another improvement.
07:07That's why we immediately sent the letter.
07:08But that was just yesterday po.
07:10So it's definitely unfair for the Senate to be on the record na nakabreak.
07:18Pero apologies.
07:19But we certainly just want to place it on record
07:22that we are doing all this
07:24and immediately forwarding our observations to the Senate or to the House.
07:30Yung mga nasabi po ni Yusek Salis,
07:32yung mga iba po doon ay for future action,
07:36the trigger, even though we needed to shift,
07:40na-trigger na rin po naman siya.
07:42So, ang sinasabi lang po natin,
07:44paano po ba tayo ma-improve moving forward?
07:48And also, for the PNOC,
07:50there are funds available.
07:51But how do we improve further?
07:54Yun po, that's why we sent that letter yesterday.
07:56Just to set the record straight po.
07:58And definitely, the Secretary will be informed po of the Chair's message.
08:03Thank you very much po.
08:05Thank you so much to our dear friend Yusek Wimpy for clarifying that.
08:11It is important we put things on the proper perspective and accurate.
08:16Kasi, pag soundbite lang,
08:20kailangan congressional approval.
08:22Pangalawa, kasi nag-break.
08:24Ah, hindi pwede yun.
08:26Imposible naman namin hindi inaksyonan.
08:27Kahapon lang pala.
08:29Pero, we can take things into consideration
08:32if it's deemed urgent
08:33or can it wait until may as a chair has said,
08:36nag-hearing naman tayo.
08:37Kaya lang, ito po, Mr. Chair,
08:39may tanong kami ni Sen Kiko.
08:41Hindi namin makita.
08:42Binasa po ng DOE
08:44yung mga urgent contingency plan.
08:47Eh, ang pagkaintindi po namin,
08:50work from home at carpooling.
08:52So, ano ba ho ang top three
08:55na pinakamahalaga na ginawa ng DOE
08:59para maibsan ang pagtaas
09:01ng presyo ng petroleum products
09:04at matulungan lahat ng sektor?
09:07Kasi ang narinig namin,
09:08yung carpooling at saka yung work from home eh.
09:10Hindi naman po yun emergency situation lang.
09:15Marami pang ibang dapat na mararamdaman po ng tao.
09:18Hindi namin makita yung iba.
09:20So, the first ones that we definitely did
09:24was to coordinate closely with the DILG.
09:28Noong coordination po with the DILG
09:30and with Yusek Iringan,
09:31it brought about an online meeting
09:34last Wednesday
09:35with all the mayors,
09:37Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao,
09:39and some of the governors were present as well.
09:41These were to align
09:44yung mga roles
09:45and mga basis ng batas
09:47para ipatapad po natin yun.
09:49The other one is how to
09:53make sure that we have supply.
09:56So, aside from the
09:58private oil companies
10:01going about with their
10:02partners and suppliers
10:04on the
10:06contracts of where
10:08and when they will get
10:09their products,
10:11there is that
10:12added
10:14venue or channel
10:16wherein the PNOC
10:18or the government
10:18is also looking into
10:21additional suppliers
10:23just to make sure
10:24that we have
10:26the supplies
10:26needed.
10:27Kaya nga po,
10:28yung inventory natin,
10:30it's not
10:30breached.
10:31We have
10:32sufficient supplies
10:34and
10:35hindi pa rin tayo,
10:36we will not let
10:37our guards down.
10:38That's why we
10:39mentioned
10:39that aside from
10:41the existing
10:41money,
10:43we may need
10:44additional
10:44arsenal
10:46and additional
10:47options.
10:48But nonetheless,
10:48again,
10:49we apologize
10:49for that.
10:51We will be
10:52more circumspect
10:53in our statements.
10:54But
10:54it's definitely
10:57thanking
10:57the committee
10:58for holding
10:59this meeting
11:00because
11:00in our
11:01way forward,
11:02and that
11:03is the
11:04third one,
11:04because it's
11:05really supply
11:06on the ground
11:06and supply
11:07for the
11:08country.
11:08On our
11:09way forward,
11:10it is really
11:12imperative for us
11:13to pursue
11:14the transition.
11:15What makes
11:16the situation
11:18different from
11:201973
11:20is now
11:22we have
11:23electric
11:24cooking
11:25more available.
11:27now we
11:28have more
11:29renewable
11:30energy
11:31and
11:32indigenous
11:32sources
11:33that we
11:34just need
11:34to fast
11:35track.
11:36And
11:36sometimes
11:36we need
11:37more
11:38bold
11:39reforms
11:40so that
11:40we can
11:41have a
11:42faster
11:42way
11:43forward
11:43in
11:43having
11:44a
11:45more
11:45secure
11:46not only
11:46for
11:47energy
11:47but
11:47over
11:48our
11:48national
11:49security.
11:50So
11:50we
11:51commend
11:52the
11:52DMW
11:53and
11:53the
11:54DFA
11:54for
11:55their
11:55presentations.
11:56that
11:57our
11:57OFWs
11:58are
11:58thanking
12:00and
12:01thanking
12:03our
12:04energy
12:05behavior
12:05should
12:06support
12:07what
12:07the
12:07OFWs
12:08are
12:08doing.
12:08They
12:09are
12:09sending
12:09us
12:10dollars
12:10and
12:11yet
12:11we
12:12are
12:12sending
12:12out
12:13dollars
12:13because
12:14of
12:14our
12:14energy
12:14behavior.
12:15So
12:16we
12:16need
12:16to
12:17focus
12:18on
12:18the
12:19solutions
12:19previously
12:20given
12:20to
12:21us
12:21but
12:22there
12:22was
12:22a
12:23lot
12:23of
12:23things
12:24that
12:24happened
12:24that
12:25even
12:25included
12:26the
12:27downgrading
12:28of
12:28the
12:28Ministry
12:28of
12:29Energy
12:29to
12:29an
12:29office
12:30and
12:30then
12:30it
12:30was
12:31reborn
12:31to
12:31a
12:31department
12:32but
12:32still
12:33the
12:33march
12:33towards
12:34energy
12:34independence
12:35that
12:35is
12:35aligned
12:36with
12:36climate
12:36change
12:37we
12:39just need
12:40to
12:40move
12:41faster
12:41and
12:42this
12:42is
12:42an
12:42opportunity
12:43every
12:44challenge
12:45gives
12:45an
12:45opportunity
12:46so
12:46that's
12:46third
12:47that
12:49can say
13:14thank you
13:16very
13:16much
13:16thank you
13:27you
13:28you
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