Divina Nova Joy Dela Cruz June 30, 2020
THE House of
Representatives will investigate the “unexplainable surge” in electricity
rates.
Deputy Speaker and
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, along with other House leaders,
filed House Resolution 953, which seeks to investigate the Energy Regulation
Commission’s (ERC) approval to raise transmission charges of the National Grid
Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).
In the resolution, the
lawmakers pointed out that the ERC’s decision last February 13 to increase the
interim Maximum Allowable Revenue (MAR) of NGCP by P3.3 billion for 2020 from
P43.8 billion to P47.1 billion “cannot be justified and will bring further
hardships to the millions of ordinary consumers who will shoulder the higher
cost of electricity.”
The MAR is the fixed
revenue due the NGCP regardless of the level of consumption of electricity,
making it a fixed cost charged to power consumers and added to their monthly
electricity bills.
The lawmakers said that
while the NGCP reported 25 percent to 30 percent decrease in electricity demand
during the community quarantine, the transmission rate was still expected to
increase by 33 percent to 43 percent due to the MAR hike.
“It is unjust and
unconscionable that the consumers will pay an even higher transmission rate
when millions have lost their income and are struggling to survive,” the
lawmakers said.
“The additional P3.3
billion in NGCP’s interim MAR granted by ERC will further increase the burden
of consumers during this very uncertain period of pandemic as there is no
certainty yet that a vaccine will be available soon,” they added.
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