Makabayan bloc backs SB stand vs pass-on power costs

MANILA, Philippines - The Makabayan bloc of seven party-list congressmen urged the Senate-House conference committee on the bill giving President Aquino emergency powers not to impose additional electricity cost on consumers.

Speaking for his colleagues, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said they support the call of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (SB) for the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission to disallow “any artificial shortage caused by deliberate withholding of supply just to jack up prices.”

“We agree with the Speaker that we should not allow increased electricity rates to be passed on to consumers. We should warn energy players not to resort to ‘sudden plant shutdowns’ just to increase prices,” he said.

The conference committee met this week but failed to resolve the issue of who would shoulder the cost of the so-called interruptible load program (ILP).

Under the program, big electricity users would be disconnected from the Luzon grid so there would be enough power available to household and smaller customers. The big consumers like malls and manufacturing plants would be asked to use their own generator sets, for which they would be compensated.

Under the Senate version of the emergency powers bill, the cost of ILP would be passed on to consumers. On the other hand, the House version proposes to charge it against the Malampaya fund.

“Congress should not ratify any emergency powers bill that imposes higher electricity rates on consumers,” Colmenares said.

He said based on DOE figures, there would be sufficient supply of electricity in Luzon this summer.

“The most critical period is April 4-10, when the projected surplus would only be 310 megawatts (MW). Even then, the projection is there would be a surplus,” he said.

He added that he could not understand why the DOE is warning the public against the possibility of rotating brownouts that could last for several hours.

He pointed out that obviously, the DOE is expecting “unplanned, sudden plant shutdowns” that power producers could resort to just to bring up prices.