By | Dec. 18, 2013 at 12:01am
THE Palace on Tuesday said it would not pressure Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) chief Zenaida Cruz Ducut to resign over charges that she participated in the pork barrel scam when she was still a congresswoman.
Public outrage over the steep increase in electricity rates and allegations of collusion among power plant operators, as well as charges filed against her before the Office of the Ombudsman have triggered calls for Ducut to resign.
But the President’s spokesman, Herminio Coloma said the President’s view has always been that the investigation must be “evidence-based.”
“Since the complaint is already filed, let’s leave the process to the Office of the Ombudsman,” Coloma said.
Ducut said Tuesday she would not resign.
“I have yet to receive a copy of the complaint, so I really can’t discuss details of it at this point,” she said in a statement. “I am ready to face investigation and my accusers, and I am hoping that I will be accorded due process. Rest assured that once I see the complaint and studied it, I will make my stand within what the legal process allows. In the meantime, I shall continue to render my duties according to my mandate.”
Coloma said while the Palace paid attention to calls for Ducut to resign, it would not compel her to do so.
“Former congresswoman Ducut has a fixed term in her current office. This we hope the public will understand,” he said.
Coloma would not say if the Palace felt the pressure over the ERC chief.
“In a vigorous democracy, many voices and opinions are heard, and what is important is for the government to do its job of allowing these views to be heard in a democratic way. After this, everyone—those who are elected and those who are appointed--will be answerable to their constituents through the decision of the court,” Coloma said.
In the House, lawmakers said they would review proposals to amend Electricity Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) Law in the light of the P4.15 per kilowatt-hour rate increase imposed by the Manila Electric Co.
Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said House leaders would review the EPIRA law if the committee on energy, which is investigating allegations of collusion among companies involved in the supply of electricity, recommends it.
Earlier, the committee chairman, Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali vowed to pursue a probe into the Meralco’s P4.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) power rate hike.
Umali also sent an invitation to ERC’s Ducut to attend the hearings.
Senator JV Ejercito also urged a review of the EPIRA, following the law’s failure to protect consumers from the sudden increase in electricity rates.
Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, on the other hand, proposed “a floating value-added tax” on power that would be lowered when rates go up.
The Senate is set to investigate today Meralco and other power generators to determine if they colluded to raise electricity rates. – With Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta source
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