By Filane Mikee Cervantes June 20,
2020, 11:51 am
MANILA – Lawmakers at the House of Representatives are calling for
a congressional investigation into the recurring power outages in Iloilo City
amid the coronavirus pandemic.
AKO BISAYA Party-list Rep. Sonny
Lagon said the chamber should look into the power issues hounding the area to
ensure that economic activities are not jeopardized and the consumers would no
longer suffer because of the warring electricity distribution companies, Panay
Electric Company (PECO) and More Electric and Power Corp.
“I also enjoin the DOE (Department
of Energy) and the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) to investigate this
matter at the soonest. Power is not something the consumers should have to
worry about, especially with the pandemic right now,“ Lagon said in a statement
on Friday.
Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph
Paduano also echoed the calls for an immediate probe on the Iloilo power issue.
“Once again, our argument on the
issue proves us correct! And during this time of a pandemic it is more
highlighted that the leaders of this country, in all branches of government
involved in this power crisis, and that includes Congress, must show the people
of Iloilo our sense of urgency to settle this issue the soonest possible time,”
Paduano said.
He said the matter must be elevated
to the attention of President Rodrigo Duterte “for him to look into this so we
can be assured that due process is being followed and that there is no abuse of
our legal system.”
Paduano said the Supreme Court
“needs to address this because the longer this drags on, the longer Iloilo will
suffer without power".
PHILRECA Party-list Rep. Presley de
Jesus expressed alarm over the power situation in Iloilo as the spate of
brownouts adversely affects the health and safety of the public and also
paralyzes business operations, especially the micro, small, and medium
enterprises, which is a significant chunk of the city's business landscape.
“There is a need for the House
Energy Committee and the ERC to look into the power situation in Iloilo to
ensure the reliability and stability of the power supply and distribution,” de
Jesus said.
In a virtual presser, energy
watchdog Koalisyon Bantay Kuryente (KBK) coordinator Jose Allen Aquino said
since More Power's takeover of PECO's assets, “the brownouts have been
happening at longer durations and they almost occur on a daily basis".
Aquino said aside from the frequent
brownouts, erroneous billings are clear-cut violations of the rights and
welfare of consumers, which legitimately requires an investigation by the ERC,
similar to the probes that the regulatory body has been carrying out against
the other power utilities in the country. (PNA)
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