The Department of Energy (DOE) has expressed support for the ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) regarding Republic Act No. 8479 or the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998.
Earlier, the Supreme Court deemed the act, permitting the department to take over operations on any entity in the oil industry in case of national emergency, constitutional.
The DOE said that it would do its part to implement Section 14 (e) of the law, stating that under the President’s instructions and on specific grounds, the department could take over during national emergencies.
The Energy Department also said that it would review the clarifications made by the SC together with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General to ensure that this law would be properly exercised.
Moreover, the department would also consult and work together with all stakeholders to ensure that the strength of the overall capacity of the energy sector is maintained and to avoid and minimize potential constraints.
