Manila, July 2 -- The Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday asked senators to give it stronger legal tools against oil hoarding as the Senate reviewed the country's downstream oil deregulation framework in the face of fuel price shocks and supply risks.

During the Senate Committee on Energy hearing, panel chairperson Senator Erwin Tulfo pressed DOE officials on whether the agency could immediately act if a company is found hoarding petroleum products.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said fuel hoarding exposed the department's limited regulatory powers over a liberalized, market-driven oil industry, particularly on pricing, stocking, inventory levels, and enforcement.

Garin said the problem is that the current law does not clearly provi...