***two (2) stories***
story no. 1
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Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 24, 2002
BARBERS TO INVESTIGATE MULTI-MILLION "GHOST
DELIVERIES," AND PROCUREMENT ANOMALIES IN THE BUREAU OF FIRE
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SENATOR Robert Z. Barbers today sought an in-depth inquiry into
the alleged anomalies in the procurement and repair of fire
fighting equipment as well as the reported irregularity in the
purchase of materials and supplies in the Bureau of Fire
Protection (BFP) amounting to millions of pesos Of government
funds.
Under Senate Resolution No 410, which Barbers filed over the
week, he asked the Senate Committee on Public Order and Illegal
Drugs to dig deeper into the issue noting that the BFP, for the
past years has been a subject of numerous controversies on the
reported irregular transactions, which have triggered the relief
of several of its Chiefs.
"Despite the numerous invesugations conducted by various
agencies, it seems that it only fell on the deaf ears of its
administrators because past and present Bureau Directors could
not curb the alleged wide spread corruption within the BFP,"
Barbers said.
The former Interior and Local Government Secretary added that one
of the reasons why the said anomalies could not be effectively
addressed is because of accusations that top officials of the
Bureau themselves are the ones primarily involved in these
anomalous transactions.
The Mindanao solon also said that documents submitted to his
office will reveal that the legal and proper procedures in the
procurement of supplies, programs and projects were not being
followed by the Chief of the BFP whose modus operandi is in
securing cash advances in cahoots with the Chief's "friendly
suppliers."
"Among others, the documents alleged that no less than the
Chief of the BFP instructed the Chief of the Supply Management
Division to prepare a tailored program of procurement of supplies
that are available only from favored suppliers and the infamous
ghost deliveries involving millions of government funds,"
Barbers added.
Barbers pointed out that there are compelling reasons to look
into the matter and for the BFF officials to shed light into the
allegations saying that if these will be found factual, "it
is a very serious crime which the perpetrators must face the
grave consequences."///Camille p. balagtas
story no. 2
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Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 24, 2002
SHIELD CONSUMERS FROM HIGH OIL PRICES
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In the wake of a series of external economic and political
developments are likely to jack up prices of crude oil in the
world market, opposition Senator Teresa Aquino Oreta called on
Malacanang anew Friday to strongly consider the setting up of an
oil buffer fund and the creation of an oversight committee to
ensure fair pricing of fuel in the deregulated oil industry and
shield consumers from steep adjustments in crude prices abroad.
"The recent series of external developments topped by a
possible attack by the United States against Iraq, should prompt
the government to study the creation of an oil buffer fund and
and an oversight panel to shield our economy, already burdened by
a swelling budget deficit and a weakening peso, from external
events that could send local fuel prices spiraling and prices of
basic goods skyrocketing beyond the reach of the ordinary
consumer," Oreta said.
Oreta said an oversight committee, to be composed of
representatives from the government, the private sector and
consumer qroups, will be empowered to scrutinize the books of
local oil companies to determine if their pump prices truly
reflect the world price index.
A buffer fund, on the other hand. which is similar to the one
established during the initial implementation of the Downstream
Oil industry Deregulation Law, will help insulate consumers from
the erratic movements of crude prices in the world market.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE. local fuel prices
could rise following the increase in the prices of the benchmark
Dubai crude to a three-month high of $26 a barrel.
Also cited as factors that could drive oil prices upward are the
possible US military attack on Iraq and a likely retaliation by
Iraq on other Middle-East oil producing countries; the reports of
a slowdown in the output of the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the decline in oil inventories of
the US, Japan and Europe.
Oreta said that instead of merely warning local oil giants like
Petron, Caltex and Pilipinas Shell against taking advantage of
the current situation, the government could go one step further
and adopt a pro-active stance on this crucial economic concern by
setting up an oversight committee, to help ensure transparency in
the deregutated downstream oil industry and guarantee that oil
companies would no longer capitalize on erratic price movements
of imported crude oil to rip off consumers.
Oreta said an oversight committee would ensure that oil companies
make price adjustments based on their existing inventories and on
developments that twly reflect the movements of crude oil prices
in the world market. ///Camille p. balagtas