‘Collusion’ in power hike to be probed

Manila Bulletinby Charissa Luci
January 7, 2014

IMMEDIATE REFUND – Militants carry placards during their rally in front of the Meralco branch in Kamuning, Quezon City Tuesday, demanding the immediate refund from Meralco the excess charges the consumers had been billed. (KJ Rosales)

Manila, Philippines – The House committee on energy will resume its probe into the alleged collusion among power generators which supposedly fired up the P4.15-per-kilowatt-hour rate hikes after the investigating unit of the Energy Regulatory Commission had handed down its report.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said they cannot just jumpstart the investigation without the ERC report, which would become the basis of the House probe.

“What is there to hear? The report is not yet ready. We are not prepared to conduct a hearing until the report is submitted to us,” he said in a phone interview.

He said his panel is ready to resume the probe “anytime” as long as they receive the ERC report.

“My instruction to the committee is that if by January 6, they have the report, I would call for a hearing,” Umali explained, rejecting allegations his panel is being pressured to stop its probe.

The ERC earlier announced its investigating unit would submit its report on January 6.

Umali even expressed his panel’s readiness to look into the looming power rate hikes after the Malampaya field operator Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. imposed gas supply restriction on power plant users last weekend.

“We will scrutinize it,” he said.

Deputy Majority Leader and Citizens Battle against Corruption party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna and AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe reiterated their call on ERC to side with the welfare of 5.3 million consumers when it hands down the results of the probe into the alleged collusion.

Tugna expects that ERC commissioners would decide “based on the best interest of our citizens.”

Batocabe said ERC “cannot afford to further erode its credibility” by siding with the interest of the so-called ‘power oligarchs’.

The investigating unit composed of representatives from the ERC, the Department of Energy and electricity spot market operator Philippine Electricity Market Corp. was supposed to present the results of their tripartite probe last December 26, 2013, but was moved to December 30, 2013 and January 6 this year.   source