Lawmakers demand immediate resolution on power issues
Administration congressmen on Wednesday urged the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to resolve immediately its investigation into the complaint of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas against an electric cooperative operating in Panay island.
In separate statements, Reps. Julienne Baronda (NUP, Iloilo City) and Jerico Nograles (PBA Partylist) reminded the ERC that unless the controversy is resolved, there will be uncertainty in the power situation in the island.
Mayor Jerry Trenas has filed a complaint against the Panay Electric Cooperative (PECO) for its alleged failure to address the numerous incidents of fire affecting its electricity pole.
Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda lauded Trenas decision to file the complaint which was coursed through Malacañang.
Baronda said PECO’s operation should be investigated in connection with incidents of electricity pole fires that were allegedly caused by aged transformers or overloaded wires.
The neophyte solon expressed alarm over the report of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to Mayor Treñas that PECO’s failure to maintain the quality of its distribution equipment like transformers and the overloading of old electricity wires hanging overhead in the city’s streets had been the cause of nine incidents of fire in three days from October 19 to 21 alone.
She pointed out that Mayor Treñas filed the complaint against PECO with the Office of the President after PECO repeatedly failed to act on his office’s verbal and formal requests for the utility to act on Ilonggos’ complaint against its burning electricity poles and exploding distribution assets.
“The authorities must look into the matter with dispatch to avert any further fire incident,” Baronda said.
Nograles, vice chairman of the House Committee on Energy, demanded that the ERC must dispose of the case as he pointed out that the agency has the responsibility to protect consumer interests as requested by Mayor Treñas.
Nograles said the House leadership is closely monitoring the ERC investigation to ensure that the safety of Ilonggos are protected by utilities like PECO, which failed to renew its legislative franchise after it expired last January 18.
The House and the Senate both awarded the legislative franchise to operate as Iloilo City’s distribution utility to More Electric and Power Corp. (MORE) in December last year, ending PECO’s 95-year-monopoly in electricity distribution in the city.
Under Republic Act No. 11212 which gave MORE the franchise, the ERC was authorized to issue PECO a two-year CPCN to ensure continuous electricity supply in the city until MORE completes the transition to full takeover as Iloilo City’s electricity utility.
In a resolution it issued in 2008 on the issuance of CPCNs to distribution utilities, the ERC required all recipients of the permit to strictly follow the standards set under the Philippine Distribution Code and the Philippine Grid Code, including those that concern public safety and the quality of their equipment or face revocation of their CPCN.
In another power issue, Bayan Muna chairman Neri Colmenares called for public vigilance against Meralco’s bidding its supply contract to its own company, saying such could lead to inordinately high rates and power rate hikes for twenty years.
He calls on the Department of Energy (DOE) to intervene and set aside the difficult and one-sided bidding terms imposed by Meralco to ensure that more bidders with lower price offers could come in.