Adding insult to injury

This is in reaction to the news item, NGCP seeks clearance to recover P10 million from end-users, published Aug. 5, 2019 on page B10 of your newspaper (and online: https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/08/05/1940563/ngcp-seeks-clearance-recover-p10-m-end-users#SIFm4RdxAP8t5df7.99), regarding the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) intending to pass on to electric consumers the costs for rehabilitating their substation. The proposal adds insult to injury, especially for consumers affected by typhoon Josie. This also sets a dangerous precedent for privatized utility service companies passing on burden to already over-charged and overtaxed consumers and taxpayers.

As a privately owned corporation, NGCP has profited with billions of pesos from consumers in the past years. They are in a better position to cover the costs of the damages with only less profits than they’re used to. In the best interest of electric consumers, ERC should not allow the proposal of NGCP to increase electricity rates to pay for their loss. It is immoral and opportunistic behavior that should not be tolerated. 

In this time of climate crisis, we are expecting more impacts in the Philippines and we should calibrate our policies and plans to alleviate the plight of our citizens. We should be helping Filipinos in times of climate disasters instead of adding more burden to them. ERC and the national government should review such pass-on provisions and other similar mechanisms for the best interest of consumers, not corporations. – Khevin Yu, Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines