WHEREAS, Republic Act No. (R.A.) 8479, otherwise known as the "Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998", applies to all persons or entities engaged in any and all activities of the domestic downstream oil industry and mandates the Department of Energy (DOE) to promote the entry of new industry participants;

WHEREAS, R.A. 8479 also mandates the DOE to promote fair trade practices, monitor marketing processes and the quality of petroleum products, and to stop the operation of businesses involved in the sale of petroleum products not complying with the national standards of quality;