ERC guilty of preferential treatment – House panel

Key members of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability are convinced that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is guilty of unfairly giving preferential treatment to Meralco in connection with the application for seven controversial power supply agreements.

This developed as various consumers groups urged the House Committees on Good Government and Public and Accountability and on Energy to end the ongoing probe into the alleged dubious power supply agreements of Meralco.

The two House panels resumed hearings on the controversy, this time, zeroing in on claims that ERC officials gave preferential treatment to the application of a number of PSAs.

“Clearly, flexitime was applied by ERC to accommodate applications even beyond the 5 p.m. deadline. All government agencies are observing business hours not beyond this time,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny TyPimentel, chairman of the good government panel.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers assailed as grossly unfair the decision of ERC commissioners to allow the filing of applications beyond the deadline, saying that applicants have the duty to file long before the deadline.

In the same hearing, consumers groups claimed that Meralco has already secured its supply agreement from a solar company generating electricity at a price as low as R2.99 per kilowatt-hour.

Citing a report, the National Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice noted that Leandro Leviste, president of the solar firm, announced that the R2.99 kwh pricing can be the standard price for 5,000 megawatts of solar energy that can replace the supply capacity of fossil fuel facilities already in the pipeline.

The seven Meralco PSAs will bring approximately 3,551 MW additional power supply if approved – capacity smaller than the 5,000 MW the said solar company can cover.

“There is no reason for ERC to approve these contracts. Aside from promoting the dirty, costly, and deadly generation of power supply in the country, solar companies are much more competitive now,” said Ian Rivera, national coordinator of PMCJ.

He added: “The discussion inside the halls of our legislators should focus on how these institutions – ERC and Meralco must be held accountable on the alleged violated they have committed.”