The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) chided Malacanang for its move to salvage the oil deregulation law by forming the five-member review team to sugar coat the much hated law used by oil companies to arbitrarily increase their oil prices. 

According to Ka Willy Marbella, spokesperson of the group, “how can we even say that the review team would be impartial, when as early as it was formed its head, out-going energy secretary Vince Perez, is already saying that it most unlikely that the oil deregulation law will be repealed. But this is the call of the populace, because as reality would attest the 9-year old oil deregulation law has made life misereable for Filipinos,”

“While Gloria is saying that they should not preempt the findings of the team, her team leader is already doing otherwise. So what can we glean from this? First that the President was impelled to give a concession to the people’s constant demand to repeal the oil deregulation law as well as gain some brownie points for her sagging popularity. Second, the team was not mandated  really to objectively review the law  and eventually recommend its junking but it is more of a salvage team, to save the oil deregulation law, sugar-coat it and then justify its existence. Vince Perez implied as much in his statement,” added the peasant leader.

As for his part Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer of KMP, “Gloria is doing this intricate dance because she is afraid of stepping on the ‘political toes’ of former President Fidel Ramos, who took the Oil Deregulation law as one of his pet bills and she is also afraid that it would set a precedent on her own pet bill as well, the Electrical Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA, that is also the cause of perpetual increase in electrical rates,”

“One thing is certain; unless the oil deregulation law or the EPIRA is repealed the price oil and the rate of electricity will continue to rise. No amount of reviews,sugar coating or amendments can justify these oppressive laws which always have the consumers at the losing end of the bargain,” ended Ala. # # #
 

KMP - 1 March 2005