The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution that recommends the filing of charges against Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi and other officials of the department who are involved in the approval of the sale of the participating shares of Chevron in the Malampaya gas field.

The Senate adopted a resolution “expressing the sense of the Senate to file the appropriate criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman and administrative charges against Cusi and other DOE officials for approving and recommending approval of the Chevron Philippines-UC Malampaya transaction contrary to law and regulation.”

It was Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate energy panel, who proposed the creation of the resolution after having led hearings into the Malampaya controversy.

According to Gatchalian, the filing of charges would provide the personalities involved a venue to properly defend themselves.

Senators Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. and Francis Tolentino abstained from the voting.

Prior to this, Gatchalian called on Cusi and his “erring subordinates” to immediately resign from their post, saying they are criminally and administratively liable for graft, gross neglect of duty, and grave misconduct for railroading the approval of the sale of the participating shares of Chevron in the Malampaya gas field.

“I call on Secretary Cusi and his erring subordinates to immediately resign. With all that has happened, the Filipino people can no longer trust you to faithfully safeguard our country’s precious energy resources,” Gatchalian said during his privilege speech.

UC Malampaya is an indirect subsidiary of Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corporation, which senators noted has a history of partnering up with China-affiliated companies.

The senator said it was clear DOE officials led by Cusi, prescribed prior government approval as dictated by Presidential Decree No. 87 and Department Circular 2007-04-0003 on such transaction only to retract late last year after financial evaluation of UC Malampaya found it has negative $137.2-million working capital.

If found guilty, Cusi and his subordinates could face between “six years and one month to 15 years of imprisonment, and perpetual disqualification from public office.”

“I call on the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission to promptly file administrative and criminal cases against Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who approved the deal, and other DOE officials who evaluated the Chevron-UC Malampaya deal and recommended its approval,” Gatchalian said.

“The law is the law. Anyone who violates it must be punished to its full extent. I call on the proper authorities to promptly file administrative and criminal cases against Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who approved the deal, and other DOE officials who evaluated the Chevron-UC Malampaya deal and recommended its approval,” the lawmaker stressed.