Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla announced the creation of an advisory panel composed of two retired Supreme Court chief justices who will advise the Department of Energy on energy law reforms and various energy-related legal matters.
Lotilla named the senior legal advisors from the private sector as retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban and Reynato Puno.
The move will ensure that the policy recommendations from the DOE to the President and Congress are grounded on the Constitution, the laws of the land and sound legal principles.
“Retired Chief Justice Panganiban and Retired Chief Justice Puno have kindly agreed to be the co-chairs of the DOE’s Law and Energy Advisory Panel. They will serve as private citizens and will not assume any public office,”Lotilla said.
He said legal responsibility and accountability would continue to reside in the DOE. “Along these lines as well, the legal cluster of the Cabinet has looked at the issues emanating from the JAPEX [Japan Petroleum Exploration Company Ltd.] Supreme Court ruling way back in 2015 that the President must personally sign the service contracts in order to be valid,” Lotilla said.