The Power Bloc in the House of Representatives has expressed its strong disapproval of the passage of House Bill No. 10306 or An Act Amending Sections 1, 15, And 21 Of Republic Act No. 11212, titled “An Act Granting MORE Electric And Power Corporation A Franchise To Establish, Operate, And Maintain, For Commercial Purposes And In The Public Interest, A Distribution System For The Conveyance Of Electric Power To The End Users In The City Of Iloilo, Province Of Iloilo, And Ensuring The Continuous And Uninterrupted Supply Of Electricity In The Franchise Area.”
Known as the defenders of the rural electric cooperatives, the four solons of the Power Bloc displayed a united front as they explained their ‘no’ vote during the Third Reading of the measure. Among the reasons mentioned for their objection include legal repercussions of the bill, inevitable loss of ownership of the member-consumer-owners towards their property, and the anticipated price spikes disadvantageous to the consumers.
Explaining his vote, PHILRECA Representative Presley De Jesus reiterated that granting MORE Electric and Power Corporation a franchise to operate and maintain electric distribution facilities in the same areas being served by ILECO I, ILECO II, and ILECO III is illegal.
Among the reasons mentioned for their objection include legal repercussions of the bill, inevitable loss of ownership of the member-consumer-owners towards their property, and the anticipated price spikes disadvantageous to the consumers.
“This Representation would like to reiterate that approving the expansion of MORE’s franchise to areas where Iloilo electric cooperatives have an existing franchise in the same area violates Section 4 of RA 9136 or EPIRA which states that a distribution utility has an “exclusive franchise to operate” in a franchise area,” Rep. De Jesus said.
This was also mentioned in APEC Representative Sergio Dagooc’s manifestation stating that Section 27 of the EPIRA provides that “all existing franchises shall be allowed to complete their full term”.
Moreover, Rep. Dagooc also drew attention to the effect of this measure on the consumers.
“Bukod sa paglabag sa batas, Ginoong Speaker, naniniwala ang kinatawang ito na nararapat na tutulan ang House Bill 10306 sapagkat ito ay labag sa interes ng mga member-consumer-owners sapagkat mawawala ang kanilang pag-aari. Sa matagal na panahon, ang mga member-consumer-owners po ang nagbabayad ng loans ng electric coop na ginagamit sa pagpapatayo ng mga linya. Bukod dito, binibigay din nila ang kanilang mga pag-aari, kaya po, Ginoong Speaker, ayaw ng mga member-consumer-owners na makuha ng mga for-profit na pribadong kompanya at mawalan sila ng pag-aari. Hindi lamang po ito usapin ng taripa,” Rep. Dagooc added.
One common theme for their opposition to the passage of the bill is the rate spikes and pass-on charges that will be needlessly billed to the consumers as pointed out by Ako Padayon Pilipino Representative Adriano Ebcas.
PHILRECA Representative Presley De Jesus reiterated that granting MORE Electric and Power Corporation a franchise to operate and maintain electric distribution facilities in the same areas being served by ILECO I, ILECO II, and ILECO III is illegal.
“If we grant MORE Electric and Power Corporation a franchise in the same franchise areas of ILECO I, ILECO II, and ILECO III, MORE will have to build a separate distribution line and facilities for which the costs will be recovered and passed on to the consumers. This is an unnecessary duplication of costs,” Rep. Ebcas added.
Moreover, RECOBODA Representative calls on Congress to focus instead on the ballooning generation cost and forward measures to address this.
“Kung may dapat po tayong siyasatin sa ngayon, ito po ang lumulobong presyo ng generation cost, at hindi po distribution cost. Bilang mga miyembro ng lehislatura, ay mas mainam na dito natin ituon ang pokus ng ating interbensyon,” Rep. Guya said.
Prior to the resumption of Congress, the Power Bloc already reached out to the leadership of the House to remand House Bill 10306 to the Committee on Legislative Franchise for another set of hearing and deliberation, one where all stakeholders – be it from the government, public, or private sector – will be given the chance to raise questions or even recommend revisions for the betterment of the legislative measure.
