MANILA – Senator Risa Hontiveros has demanded that higher-ranking government officials be held accountable for the controversial sale of Malampaya shares to businessman Dennis Uy. This call comes after the Ombudsman found sufficient evidence to charge former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and 11 other Department of Energy officials with corruption related to Uy’s acquisition of a significant stake in the Malampaya gas project.
Hontiveros expressed her support for the Ombudsman’s decision but emphasized that the accountability should extend beyond the former energy officials. She pointed out that the transfer of the Malampaya gas project to Uy’s companies required high-level coordination within the government.
In 2020, Uy acquired Chevron’s 45 percent stake in Malampaya, followed by Shell’s 45 percent stake in 2022, leaving the government-owned PNOC-EC with only a 10 percent interest. Hontiveros questioned the effectiveness of the 2021 Murang Kuryente Act, which was intended to lower electricity costs by utilizing Malampaya funds to manage energy sector debts.
The senator raised doubts about whether the law had successfully achieved its objectives, pointing to shortcomings in privatization efforts and debt management. She specifically questioned whether the annual PHP8-billion appropriation to PSALM (Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation) had resulted in reduced electricity costs for consumers.
Hontiveros stressed the need for accountability from all senior officials involved in what she described as the misuse of public resources.