Sen. Antonio “Sonny’’ Trillanes IV said on Monday that he would move for the issuance of a subpoena to Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson Zenaida Ducut should she boycott the public hearing by the Senate energy committee on the “record breaking’’ increase in electricity rates granted by ERC.
If she refuses to attend after being subpoenaed, Trillanes said, he would have the former Pampanga congresswoman arrested based on the rules of the Senate.
Ducut had snubbed a public hearing by the House of Representatives energy committee on ERC’s decision to grant the increased electric rates “under suspicious circumstances’’ but she sent to the committee as her representatives two ERC officials.
Trillanes had sought the public hearing by the Senate energy committee chaired by Sen. Sergio R. Osmena III following allegations that the ERC readily gave in to the petition for a rate increase by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) in cities and towns covered by a Meralco franchise.
He also voiced suspicions that there was collusion among the players in the power generating sector because they shutdown after the Malampaya gas field went into three-month maintenance period.
Trillanes said that the power rate increase invariably reduces the monthly salaries or daily wages of workers and increases the household expenses of consumers.
If a consumer pays P1,000 monthly in electric bills, he would pay an additional monthly rate of P500 to P800 based on the ERC-approved increased electricity rate during the Malampaya maintenance period for the next three months, he said. source
No comments:
Post a Comment