Manila Electric Co. customers had heard about the impending power rate increases that would begin this month, but nothing quite prepared them for the sight of their electricity bills when they finally arrived.
Meralco, a power distribution company, said it had no choice but to adjust its rate upwards because of increased generation charges as a result of the shutdown of the Malampaya platform. Other power plants are also unavailable as they are also undergoing maintenance.
In an attempt to cushion the impact of the P4.15/kilowatt hour increase on households and businesses, Meralco has decided to implement the hike in three tranches: P2.41/kWh this month, P1.21/kWh in February and P0.53/kWh in March.
The attempt fails. The power rate dampens an already heavy collective spirit weary from disasters and government’s callous words and acts.
There are mounting calls for the resignation of Energy Regulatory Commission chairman Zenaida Ducut. The ERC is the agency that approves rate increase requests from the power companies. There is also an ongoing congressional probe on possible collusion between the power generators and distributors.
The reasons given us are, at best, lame. They show the utter lack of coordination, planning and foresight of the power players as well as the government. The power plants’ shutdown or maintenance work could have been scheduled better in order to assure a consistent supply of power, especially during the holiday season.
Then again, our officials are known to be oblivious to these practical, obvious considerations. Businesses, for their part, look out primarily for the interests of their shareholders. Assertion of the public good should first and foremost come from the government.
In this case, the ERC, and the Executive, in general, has failed miserably. The Palace’s claim that it cannot do anything about the ERC’s decision strikes us as characteristically insensitive—much like the Interior Secretary saying “Bahala na kayo sa buhay nyo” or the President saying “Bahala na ang Lord sa kanila.”
Ducut is definitely staying where she is—angry calls and even her alleged misuse of her Priority Development Assistance Fund when she was still in Congress notwithstanding. “Kung wala pa naman akong formal na natatanggap na complaint tapos magre-resign na ako, hindi ba parang inabandon ko ang mandato ko? (If I have not received any formal complaint and I simply resign, would that not be like abandoning my mandate?)” she said, forgetting about the more elusive term delicadeza.
The Palace stands by Ducut—and why should it break its pattern of supporting its allies even when they are exposed to be miserably incompetent or corrupt?
For the rest of us who have to toil even harder to cough up funds for our power bills even as we have to deal with generally higher prices, perhaps it is time to stop believing that the government is really there, if not to make things better, then just to prevent big business from preying on hapless consumers. source
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