Signature campaign vs power plants privatization kicks off

Sunstar Cagayan de Oro
Thursday, August 20, 2015
By PAMELA JAY F. ORIAS

THE Association of Mindanao Rural Electricity Cooperatives, Inc. has launched a signature campaign urging the national government to stop the privatization of Independent Power Producer Administration (IPPA) of Steag State Power Inc. (SPI).
The campaign, dubbed as 'SIPPA Privatization' aims for 200,000 signatures over the region and one million signatures all over Mindanao to push for the fight against privatization.
"Sa kinatibuk-an, hunungun na unta ang tanang privatization efforts sa atong power assets diri sa Mindanao," Amreco executive director Clint Django Pacana said.
Pacana said the privatization is 'untimely' since Mindanao is still facing shortage of power supply since 2012.
He added that until the new power plants in the island will become 'fully operational' and will be able to supply stable power in the grid, privatization should not be considered.
The IPPA is an entity of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) of National Power Corporation (NPC) which manages the contracted power output between an Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and the NPC.
IPPA is a product of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act EPIRA law which supposedly reduces the cost of electricity by liberalizing power sector, sets deregulation measures and privatization.
However, according to Pacana, given the 'bleak power situation' in Mindanao, privatizing the administration of IPPs would result to an increase of generation costs 'since distribution utilities will be Compelled to contract out their generating plants.'
"This move will be adding insult to injury and will only burden the power consumers more. Remember kining among lihok dili para protektahan ang mga electric cooperatives kung dili para protektahan ang mga konsumante. Doble triple ang mapasa sa mga consumers kung kini dili nato mapugngan," Sergio Dagooc, president of Amreco said.
Dogooc also urges Mindanaons not to support the authors and supporters of the privatization.
"Puhon atong bantayan kinsa kining mga politicians na gasuporta sa privarization, na dili nato botaran, they do not deserve reelection," Dagooc said.
Meanwhile, the 34 electric cooperatives under Amreco also showed their support against the looming privatization of Agus-Pulangi Hydroelectric power plants which supply 50 percent of the power supply
in Mindanao.
The PSALM said it will proceed with the sale of the Agus and Pulangi plants, and only an amendment of the Epira law will prevent it from happening.
Letters and resolution are being passed by Amreco to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III as another move to strengthen IPPA.
"Seryoso kita aning atong kampanya na supak sa pag-pribado sa IPPA of Steag ug sa Agus and Pulangi ug uban pang power plants, dili kini siya declaration lang, in general. We are pushing for the 200,000 signatures around Northern Mindanao," Pacana added. source