ABSTRACT
The nationalistic backlash spent itself in costly attacks that achieved few lasting results. The underlying structures assured that the flow of events moved against increased participation by the National Petroleum Company. Pardo Parra instead began seeking formulas to have Ecopetrol exploit those fields, possibly in combination with Petrobras, the Brazilian National Petroleum Company, which had shown interest in having crude shipped downstream to Brazil. The National Petroleum Company hailed the acquisition as a crucial step to curtail the monopoly that private companies had over the distribution of bottled gas, but the celebration was premature. Ecopetrol finally was forced to channel its dwindling capital into the production and sale of white gasoline at subsidized prices, which put yet another unbearable burden on the National Petroleum Company. The National Petroleum Company was soon swamped with lands and was at a loss as to where to send its scarce drilling equipment.
