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REPI:HLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City. Metro Manila

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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS First Regular Session

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House Resolution No.

13G

Introduced by Kabataan Party.List Rep. Raymond V. Palatino

A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE HOUSE COMMITTEES ON ECOLOGY AND ON ENERGY TO CONDUCT AN INQUIRY, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, ON ALL THE OFFSHORE PETROLEUM DRILLING AND OIL PIPELINE FRANCHISES GRANTED BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TO PRIVATE OIL COMPANIES IN LIGHT OF THE MASSIVE Es CATASTROPHIC OIL SPILLS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO (U.S.A.) AND IN THE YELLOW SEA (CHINA), AND OIL PIPELINE LEAKS IN CAVITE, LA UNION, BACOLOD AND MAKATI WHEREAS, the past months saw environmetal disasters in the United States and in China were massive oil spills occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and the Yellow Sea, respectively, discharging millions of gallons of oil into the seas, negatively affecting the seas' ecosystem and the economic life of the millions of Americans and Chinese who depend on such bodies of water for their livelihood; WHEREAS, in the Philippines, 28 million hectares of the country's territory is covered by 69 petroleum service contracts issued by the Department of Energy as of 2009, including 21 million hectares of critical biodiversity-rich seascapes and marine areas in the Visayan Sea. Bohol Sea, Panay Gulf, Sulu Sea and the Palawan Passage; WHEREAS, aside from offshore oil drilling sites. there are also dozens of oil pipelines running through our seas transporting oil from depots and refineries to various parts of the count y WHEREAS, in light of the recent oil spill disasters overseas, it becomes imperative for the Philippine Government review all offshore petroleum drilling franchises granted by the Government;

WHEREAS, just last July, leaks from petroleum pipelines were also reported in Bacolod
City, Negros Occidental, Rosario, Cavite, Poro Point, La Union and Makati City;

WHEREAS, unlike the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, the
Philippines may not be able to adequately address disasters arising from any massive oil spill or leak given our scientific and technological backlog and insufficient economic resources;

WHEREAS, it is incomprehensible how much damage a possible massive oil spill or

leak can cause to the country's fragile environment and to the economic life of millions of our countrymen who rely on the seas for their livelihood;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the House

Committees on Ecology and on Energy conduct an inquiry on all offshore petroleum drilling and oil pipeline franchises granted by the National Government to private oil companies in order to ensure that possible catastrophic environmental disasters of massive oil spills or oil pipeline leaks are prevented through measures and regulations that may be enacted by this Congress;

Adopted,

HON. F'R E^'V !OND V. PALATINO . Repres (n tive, Kabataan Party-list