Oro Council opposes House Bill 8179

The City Council has expressed its opposition to House Bill 8179 which will supposedly monopolize solar power operation and distribution in the country.

In his special report, Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya said the bill, which grants Solar Para sa Bayan Corporation (SPSB) a franchise to construct, install, establish, operate and maintain distributable power technologies throughout the country, effectively grants monopoly and exempts it from the rules of competition provided under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act otherwise known as the EPIRA law.

The bill, which concerns the people nationwide, is already approved in the committee level, but stakeholders in the local and regional were not invited to this meeting.

“In this proposal this company has authority to exclusively undertake whether small or huge accessing resources without the blessing of local government units. Like the PCSO, lotto and casino, they can operate instantly without the blessing of local governments because the franchise is given by Congress,” Nacaya said.

Nacaya said the bill grants undue favor to one private company and effectively kills competition in the renewable energy sector.

This proposed measure is likewise opposed by several lawmakers and power players across the country saying it “runs against the goal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.”

Several lawmakers are urging the House Committee on Rules to return for further deliberations what is supposedly an “unconstitutional” bill seeking a 25-year franchise for the Solar Para Sa Bayan Corporation.

Solar Para Sa Bayan is founded by Leandro Leviste, son of Senator Loren Legarda. Solar Para sa Bayan aims to bring cheaper and more reliable power to areas poorly served by utilities, in support of the Duterte administration’s aim of ending energy poverty by 2022.