Wednesday, December 18, 2013

No proof yet of collusion among power producers – Osmeña

By Maila Ager INQUIRER.net 5:01 pm | Wednesday, December 18th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines – There is  still no proof yet of collusion among power producers which resulted in  the sudden spike in  the electricity rate of Manila Electric  Co. (Meralco),  Senator Sergio Osmeña III said on Wednesday.
Osmeña, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, made this  initial assessment after conducting thecommittee’s first hearing on the P4.15 per kilowaat hour rate  increase that Meralco  will impose beginning  this December.
“Yeah, kasi wala namang cross-ownership e.  Ikaw ang kikita, hindi ako (because there’s no cross-ownership). You will earn, not me) ,” he said  when asked by a reporter after  the hearing if he found no collusion among the power producers that simultaneously shut down their operations, prompting Meralco to buy more expensive electricity  at the spot market.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III. FILE PHOTO
“You will shut down your bus, so that I can run my jeepney?  I don’t think  it makes sense.  Now, if you also own the jeepney, baka (then maybe there is collusion),” he said.
Asked again if he was  ruling  out altogether any collusion,  Osmena said: “No.  I’m saying that as far as  I see now, there’s still no proof of collusion. It might turn up next week, it might turn up in the investigation  of the  Department of Energy but I, myself, do not see any collusion at this stage yet and I’ve been looking for it.”
Pressed by a reporter why he was convinced that there was no collusion,  the committee chairman  said: “Because I can’t find proof.  If I didn’t see the money in your pocket,  then I can say my friend you didn’t steal anything.”
Meanwhile,  Osmeña rejected Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto’s proposal during the hearing to suspend the power rate increase  while waiting for the result of the government’s investigation into the alleged collusion  among power producers.
“I don’t like all these amateur proposal because we have to study [the experience of] other countries, nangyari na ito sa kanila (It happened to them). Let’s see how they work it out,” Osmeña said.  source
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